hard, 'n' I couldn't but be a little took with how anxious they was to
draw when there was only twelve childern 'n' sixteen women, so 't
stood to reason 't there was four as couldn't get no child to save
their necks. I didn't try to draw none myself--I hauled out a lot of
stitches 'n' sat back'n' said when they was all through I'd come 'n'
draw for you and me too, 'n' then I watched 'em all hurryin' Mrs.
Brown, 'n' 'f _she_ didn't get Henry Ward Beecher same 's all the
rest! But she was perfectly satisfied,--she said 't she was lonesome
now young Dr. Brown's gone 'n' married and 't Henry Ward Beecher c'd
have his room. So Henry Ward Beecher was out o' the sugar-bowl at
last, 'n' I must say 't it was a great relief to see him settled."

"Who drew--" said Mrs. Lathrop.

"Mrs. Sweet drew next. 'N' she drew Augustus, 'n' when she see 't
she'd got Augustus she didn't mince matters none,--she jus' said she'd
never have no Augustus in her house, not now 'n' not never, 'n' she
put him right back, 'n' some one said 't it wasn't fair. But they
shook the bowl up good, 'n' Gran'ma Mullins 'd been tryin' so hard to
get a chance at it 't they let her come next, 'n' she drew, 'n'--my
Lord!--she let off a scream like she'd draw'd a snake 'n' it seemed 't
it was Bobby she'd got, 'n' she said, fair or not, she couldn't abide
no small boy since she god-mothered Sam Duruy, 'n' so we must excuse
her puttin' Bobby back into the sugar-bowl, and so back into the
sugar-bowl Bobby got put. Then every one begin sayin' 't it wasn't
fair, 'n' Mrs. Sperrit stood up 'n' said she knowed a good way. We'd
put sixteen numbers in the sugar-bowl 'n' all draw numbers 'n' then
choose from the childern in accordance with our numbers, No. 1 gettin'
first pick 'n' No. 2 second 'n' so on. So we did it, 'n' I drew with a
pretty heavy heart, I c'n assure you, Mrs. Lathrop, for Lord knows