Neighbers, from the fust, ’ud come— And she’d _let_ ’em help her _some_,— “Thanky, ma’am!” and “Thanky, sir!” But no charity fer _her_!— “_She_ could raise the means to pay Fer her farm-hands ever’ day Sich wuz needed!”—And she _could_— In cash-money jes as good As farm-produc’s ever brung Their perducer, _old_ er young! So folks humored her and smiled, And at last wuz rickonciled Fer to let her have her own Way about it.—But a-goin’ Past to town, they’d stop and see “Armazindy’s fambily,” As they’d allus laugh and say, And look sorry right away, Thinkin’ of her Pap, and how He’d indorse his “Soldier” now! ’Course _she_ couldn’t never be Much in _young-folks’_ company— Plenty of _in_-vites to go, But das’t leave the house, you know— ’Less’n _Sund’ys_ sometimes, when Some old _Granny_’d come and ’ten’ Things, while Armazindy _has_ Got away fer Church er “Class.” Most the youngsters _liked_ her—and ’Twuzn’t hard to understand,— Fer, by time she wuz sixteen, Purtier girl you never seen— ’Ceptin’ she lacked schoolin’, ner Couldn’t rag out stylisher— Like some _neighber_-girls, ner thumb On their blame’ melodium, Whilse their pore old mothers sloshed Round the old back-porch and washed Their clothes fer ’em—rubbed and scrubbed Fer girls’d ort to jes be’n clubbed! —And jes sich a girl wuz Jule Reddinhouse.—_She’d_ be’n to school At _New Thessaly_, i gum!— Fool before, but that he’pped _some_— ’Stablished-like more confidence ’At she _never_ had no sense. But she wuz a cunnin’, sly, Meek and lowly sort o’ lie, ’At men-folks like me and you B’lieves jes ’cause we ortn’t to.— Jes as purty as a snake, And as _pizen_—mercy sake! Well, about them times it wuz, Young Sol Stephens th’ashed fer us; And we sent him over to Armazindy’s place to do _Her_ work fer her.—And-sir! Well— Mighty little else to tell,— Sol he fell in love with her— Armazindy Ballenger!