"From the start," continued Leander, "the two Mrs. Daxes just hankered to
get at each other; an’ while I, as a slave to the fair sex"—here he bowed
to the fat lady and to Miss Carmichael—"hesitates to use such langwidge in
their presence, the attitood of them two female wimmin shorely reminds me
of a couple of unfriendly dawgs just hankerin’ to chaw each other.

"At first, Johnnie waited on her hand an’ foot, and she just read novels
and played stylish all the time and danced. She was the hardest dancer
that ever struck this yere trail, and she could give lessons to any old
war-dancin’ chief up to the reservation. No dance she ever heard of was
too far for her to go to. She just went and danced till broad daylight.
Many a man would have took to dissipation, in his circumstances, but
Johnnie just lost heart and grew slatterly. Why, he’d leave his dishes go
from one day till the next—"

"There’s more as would leave their dishes from one day till the next if
they wasn’t looked after." And the wife of his bosom stood in the door
like a vengeful household goddess. Mr. Dax made a grab for the nearest
plates.





IV


Judith, The Postmistress