And she talked a sight about her children, and how bad she felt to be
parted from 'em, and how she used to worship her husband and how her
hull life wuz ruined and the Whiskey Ring had done it, that and wimmen's
helpless condition under the law and she cried and wep' and I did. And
right while I wuz cryin' onto that gingham apron, she made me promise to
carry them two errents of hern to the President and git 'em done for her if
I possibly could.

She wanted the Whiskey Ring destroyed and her rights, and she wanted 'em
both inside of two weeks.

I told her I didn't believe she could git 'em done inside that length of
time, but I would tell the President about it, and I thought more'n likely
as not he would want to do right by her. "And," sez I, "if he sets out to,
he can haul them babies of yourn out of that Ring pretty sudden."

And then to git her mind offen her sufferin's, I asked how her sister Azuba
wuz gittin' along? I hadn't heard from her for years. She married Phileman
Clapsaddle, and Serepty spoke out as bitter as a bitter walnut, and sez
she:

"She's in the poor-house."

"Why, Serepta Pester!" sez I, "what do you mean?"

"I mean what I say, my sister, Azuba Clapsaddle, is in the poor-house."

"Why, where is their property gone?" sez I. "They wuz well off. Azuba had
five thousand dollars of her own when she married him."