recognize the kind they got." The sour voiced old lady directed her
tones toward the seat next to her.

"If you're a meanin' me, Caroline, I want to tell you my relations
is just as good as your'n, though we don't throw 'em down everybody's
throat as some folks I know."

"No," said another; "Drusilla has no family; she told me so herself.
One day I was telling her about my family, about my father who was so
well known in the State, and my brother who became the great--"

"Now don't begin on your family, Maria. We know all about it. We
ain't heard nothin' else fer the last three years. It's a good thing
that some of the women in this home has something else to talk about
except the greatness of their family, or we'd all be dead."

The little old lady twisted her ball of yarn viciously, causing it
to roll upon the floor, and when she had stiffly followed it and
picked it from the corner her face was very red, either from the
exertion of stooping or from the insult she felt she had received.

"You're jealous--that's what's the matter with you! People who've no
folks are always jealous of them who's had 'em; but old age has its
liberties, I suppose, and we must pardon a great deal on account of
it."

"Are you speakin' of me, I'd like to know? I ain't but four years
older'n you. I'm only seventy-nine and you was seventy-five last May,
though you didn't want us to know it was your birthday. But I seen
the date in the book some one sent you, and you can't deny it."