Grand and beautiful as
she is to others, to him she is still his little Nelly.
He would not even own that he thought her altered.
"I d'know," he said, a shade of anxiety blending with the old fond pride.
"Fust-off, Sis didn't look jes' nat'ral, spite of all the picters she's
sent us; but that was her long-tailed dress, mebbe. W'en she's a young
one, Ma was all for tyin' back her ears and pinchin' her nose with a
clo'espin--to make it straight or so'thin'; but I says to Ma, w'en Helen
'Lizy lef' home, 'don't ye be one mite afeard,' I says, 'but what them
bright eyes'll outshine the peaked city gals.' Guess they have, sort o',
eh, Sis; f'om what John's been writin'?"
"I don't know, Father."
"Don't ye--don't ye want t' hear 'bout the folks? Brought ye heaps o'
messages. Frenchy, now--him that worked for us--druv over f'om the Merriam
place to know 'f 'twas true that city folks made a catouse over ye. He'd
heard the men readin' 'bout ye in the papers.
"'Wa-al,' I says to Frenchy, 'Helen 'Lizy was al'ays han'some.'
"'D'know 'bout zat,' says Frenchy, only he says it in his lingo, 'but she
was one vair cute li'l gal.
Pages:
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371