people stop there? Oh, yes, sometimes fifteen
at a time--they ``never turned nobody
away.'' And she had a big family,
little Cindy and the two big girls and Buck
and Mart--who was out somewhere--and
the hired man, and yes--``Thar was another
boy, but he was fitified,'' said one
of the big sisters.

``I beg your pardon,'' said the
wondering Blight, but she knew that phrase
wouldn't do, so she added politely:

``What did you say?''

``Fitified--Tom has fits. He's in a
asylum in the settlements.''

``Tom come back once an' he was all
right,'' said the old mother; ``but he
worried so much over them gals workin' so
hard that it plum' throwed him off ag'in,
and we had to send him back.''

``Do you work pretty hard?'' I asked
presently. Then a story came that was full
of unconscious pathos, because there was
no hint of complaint--simply a plain
statement of daily life. They got up before
the men, in order to get breakfast ready;