Part 8 (1/2)

”Honey, I thought you said it was Sarah when you first come in?”

”Oh, yes'm, I did Sarah Mary Williams Sarah's my first name Some calls me Sarah, some calls me Mary”

”Oh, that's the way of it?”

”Yes' better then, but I wished I was out of there, anyway I couldn't look up yet

Well, the wo about how hard times was, and how poor they had to live, and how the rats was as free as if they owned the place, and so forth and so on, and then I got easy again She was right about the rats You'd see one stick his nose out of a hole in the corner every little while She said she had to have things handy to throw at theive her no peace She showed ood shot with it generly, but she'd wrenched her aro, and didn't knohether she could throw true now But she watched for a chance, and directly banged away at a rat; but she missed him wide, and said ”Ouch!” it hurt her arm so Then she toldaway before the old , and the first rat that showed his nose I let drive, and if he'd a stayed where he was he'd a been a tolerable sick rat She said that was first-rate, and she reckoned I would hive the next one She went and got the lu a hank of yarn which she wanted me to help her with I held up my two hands and she put the hank over the about her and her husband's matters But she broke off to say:

”Keep your eye on the rats You better have the lead in your lap, handy”

So she dropped the luether on it and she went on talking But only about a ht in the face, and very pleasant, and says:

”Come, nohat's your real name?”

”Wh?what, mum?”

”What's your real name? Is it Bill, or Tom, or Bob??or what is it?”

I reckon I shook like a leaf, and I didn't know hardly what to do But I says:

”Please to don't poke fun at a poor girl like me, mum If I'm in the way here, I'll?”

”No, you won't Set down and stay where you are I ain't going to hurt you, and I ain't going to tell on you, nuther You just tell me your secret, and trust me I'll keep it; and, what's more, I'll help you So'll my old man if you want him to You see, you're a runaway 'prentice, that's all It ain't anything There ain't no harm in it

You've been treated bad, and you made up your mind to cut Bless you, child, I wouldn't tell on you Tell ood boy”

So I said it wouldn't be no use to try to play it any longer, and I would just o back on her promise Then I told her my father and mother was dead, and the law had bound me out to a mean old farmer in the country thirty mile back from the river, and he treated one a couple of days, and so I took hter's old clothes and cleared out, and I had been three nights cohts, and hid dayti of bread and meat I carried from home lasted me all the way, and I had a-plenty I said I believed my uncle Abner Moore would take care of me, and so that hy I struck out for this town of Goshen

”Goshen, child? This ain't Goshen This is St Petersburg Goshen's ten mile further up the river Who told you this was Goshen?”

”Why, ato turn into the woods for ular sleep He told ht hand, and five mile would fetch me to Goshen”

”He was drunk, I reckon He told you just exactly wrong”

”Well, he did act like he was drunk, but it ain't noI'll fetch Goshen before daylight”

”Hold on a ht want it”

So she putdohich end of her gets up first? Answer up proets up first?”

”The hind end, mum”