"Well, I guess I'll go put on my things," said Mrs. Olsen,
wisely declining to defend her position. "You set right still
and warm yourself, and we'll be back in a minute."

Indeed, it was hardly more than that time before both Carl Olsen,
who worked in the same furniture factory as Kurt Lieders,
and was a comely and after-witted giant, appeared with Mrs. Olsen
ready for the street.

He nodded at Mrs. Lieders and made a gurgling noise in his throat,
expected to convey sympathy. Then, he coughed and said that he was ready,
and they started.

Feeling further expression demanded, Mrs. Olsen asked:
"How many times has he done it, Mrs. Lieders?"

Mrs. Lieders was trotting along, her anxious eyes on the house
in the distance, especially on the garret windows. "Three times,"
she answered, not removing her eyes; "onct he tooked Rough on Rats
and I found it out and I put some apple butter in the place of it,
and he kept wondering and wondering how he didn't feel notings,
and after awhile I got him off the notion, that time.
He wasn't mad at me; he just said: 'Well, I do it some other time.
You see!' but he promised to wait till I got the spring
house cleaning over, so he could shake the carpets for me;
and by and by he got feeling better. He was mad at the boss
and that made him feel bad. The next time it was the same,
that time he jumped into the cistern ----"

"Yes, I know," said Olsen, with a half grin, "I pulled him out."