But I see she looket ruther gloomy, and after she sot down and took out her tattin’ and begun to tat, she spoke up and says she--
“Josiah Allen’s wife, I feel awful deprested to-day.”
“What is the matter?” says I in a cheerful tone.
“I feel lonely,” says she, “more lonely than I have felt for yeahs.”
“I had a dream last night, Josiah Allen’s wife.”
“What was it?” says I in a sympathizin’ accent, for she did look meloncholly and sad indeed.
“I dreamed I was married, Josiah Allen’s wife,” says she in a heart-broken tone, and she laid her hand on my arm in her deep emotion. “I tell you it was hard after dreamin’ that, to wake up again to the cold realities and cares of this life; it was _hard_,” she repeated, and a tear gently flowed down her Roman nose and dropped off onto her overskirt. She knew salt water would spot otter color awfully, and so she drew her handkerchief out of her pocket, and spread it in her lap, (it was white trimmed with narrow edgein’) and continued--
“Life seemed so hard and lonesome to me, that I sot up in the end of the bed and wept. I tried to get to sleep again, hopin’ I would dream it ovah, but I could not.”
And again two salt tears fell in about the middle of the handkerchief. I see she needed consolation, and my gratitude made me feel soft to her, and so says I in a reasurin’ tone--
“To be sure husbands are handy on 4th of July’s, and funeral prosessions, it looks kinder lonesome to see a woman streamin’ along alone, but they are contrary creeters, Betsey, when they are a mind to be.”
And then to turn the conversation and get her mind off’en her trouble, says I,
“How did you like my bed spread, Betsey?”
“Yes,” says I, “it looks well enough now its done, but it most wore my fingers out a tuftin’ it--it’s a sight of work.”
But I saw how hard it was to draw her mind off from broodin’ over her troubles, for she spoke in a mournful tone,
“How sweet it must be to weah the fingers out for a deah companion. I would be willing to weah mine clear down to the bone. I made a vow some yeahs ago,” says she, kinder chirkin’ up a little, and beginnin’ to tat agin. “I made a vow yeahs ago that I would make my deah future companion happy, for I would neveh, neveh fail to meet him with a sweet smile as he came home to me at twilight. I felt that that was all he would requireh to make him happy. Do you think it was a rash vow, Josiah Allen’s wife?”