OCR Text |
Show •,)h 0 TilE ADYE}.,TURE~ OJ? Jl[;~CI\.LEBERllY 1•'1 ..\. ?{. nnr light, ana hid ; an(l her cmncs 1 he ol<l1nan, ·with a c~n1<l l in 0118 hand an<l a buncll of. tuff in t'otber, looking a.· ab~rnt- 1nincled as year b fore la. t. ) f e \YCnt a lUOOning around, fir~t to one rat -hol and then anothPr, till h e'd been to thl'ln all. ThPn h stood about five 1ninnt{'~, picl,ing tallow-drip off of his candl an<l thinking. Then h' Lnrns off slo\v aucl dreamy toward· th stairfi, snying: " \\,..ell, for the life of 111 I can't reln<'Jnber wh n I clc'IH' it. I ronl<l ·how h r now tbat I vvarn't to hla1ne on account of the rat. But n vcr 1nind- -let it go. 1 r cekon it \ronltln't do no o·ood:' b 1\ncl so lH' \Yr.nt on a mn1nbling np ~ tairs, ancl then we left. lie' \Yas a 1nighty nice old 1nan. And always i·. Tom was a good deal boU1erecl about. \vhat to do for a . ·poon, l>ut he . aiel ·we'd got to have it ; so he took a think. \rhcn he hnd ciphrred it out, he told 1ne how \Ve \va to <lo ; then \ve went and waite<l around ihe poon-basket till we sec Aunt Nally coming, and then Tom w nt to counting the . poon · and laying the1n out to one side, and I ·lid one of t hc1n np 1ny sleeve, ancl To1n . ·ays : "\Vhy, Aunt Sally, then' ain't but nine .:poons, 7;et:' ~'he says : "Uo 'long io your p1ay, an(l <lon't holh er 1nP. I know better, I counted ·In 1uy elf." "\V ell, I've counted thern twice, Aunty, an<l I can't make but nin : ' • 'he looked out of all patience, but of conr~e she cmne to count-anybody would. "I declare to gracious t ht>r' ai11 "t but nine! ., . he ·ays. "\\rhy, wbat in the \Yorld-plague tuke the thing.·, I'll count 'n1 again." Ho I slipped back the one I Juul, and \Yh n . he got done counting, he say. : ' l[ang the troubl som rubbacre, thcr\; ten, now!'' and f-'h, looke<l huffy and bother 'd both. Hut To1n ·ay.· : "\Vhy, Aunty, l don't think there·~ ten: ' " YOU numskull, clicln't you . e lll CO?.£ nt "111 r ., ''I knov.--, but " "\V ell, I'll count '1n again.'' " I~ A 'J' EAIUXG W .A.Y." So I s1nouch cl one, and they con1c out nine same as the oth :\r time. ''r ll, she 'W(t.,S in a tearing way-- jnst a trembling all over, she \vas so n1acl. But she counted and counted, till he got that aclllecl .·he'd. tart to count-in the ba l~et for a spoo11, omctime ; and ·o, three time they come out right, and three ti1nes thPy co1nc out -wrong. Then ~he grabbed up the basket |