herself to really hear. If she really took the meaning in these words
she could never ask Anna to come into her house again, and she
liked Anna very well, and was used to depend on her savings and her
strength. And then too Mrs. Lehntman could not really take in harsh
ideas. She was too well diffused to catch the feel of any sharp firm
edge.

Now she managed to understand all this in a way that made it easy for
her to say, "Why, Anna, I think you feel too bad about seeing what the
children are doing every minute in the day. Julia and Willie are real
good, and they play with all the nicest children in the square. If
you had some, all your own, Anna, you'd see it don't do no harm to let
them do a little as they like, and Julia likes this baby so, and sweet
dear little boy, it would be so kind of bad to send him to a 'sylum
now, you know it would Anna, when you like children so yourself,
and are so good to my Willie all the time. No indeed Anna, it's easy
enough to say I should send this poor, cute little boy to a 'sylum
when I could keep him here so nice, but you know Anna, you wouldn't
like to do it yourself, now you really know you wouldn't, Anna, though
you talk to me so hard.--My, it's hot to-day, what you doin' with that
ice tea in there Julia, when Miss Annie is waiting all this time for
her drink?"

Julia brought in the ice tea. She was so excited with the talk she had
been hearing from the kitchen, that she slopped it on the plate out of
the glasses a good deal. But she was safe, for Anna felt this trouble
so deep down that she did not even see those awkward, bony hands,
adorned today with a new ring, those stupid, foolish hands that always
did things the wrong way.