“I’d lose ’em anyway,” she said, surrendering fundamental ground for temporary defense. “An’ I want to tell you ’bout that hen. You know what an awful time that first set give her this summer. They wuz the head-longest bunch I’ve ever had, an’ they kept her about crazy. I wouldn’t hev set her again ef there’d been another hen ready. I felt sorry fer the pore thing. To-day it wuz time fer her to come off an’ I went to the nest to see about her. I didn’t hear no yeepin’ an’ I stood around fer a good spell. All at onct there come a ‘yeep’ like a slit--you know how different a duck’s ‘yeep’ is from a chicken’s--an’ when that hen heard it she jumped off the nest an’ flew fer a smart stretch a-squawkin’ like she wuz skeered crazy, an’ run up the hill out o’ sight, an’ I ain’t seen her sence she took off. ‘Yeep,’ an’ she’s gone! She’d been showed, that gray hen had.” “Serena,” I said, determined upon judgment, and refusing to smile more than once, “it is time for you to quit fooling with ducks. There are so many things you could be doing.” “What things?” “Your spring needs cleaning out. It is full of rotting leaves.” “Yes, I’ve been wishin’ Len could git time fer that.” “Why don’t you do it yourself?” “It ’ud ruin a spring fer a woman to clean it out.” “It was a very lazy woman who started that superstition, Serena. I clean my spring all the time.” “Yes, an’ it ain’t what it used to be. I’ve been noticin’ that. It’s druggy.” “Because the fine roots of that big maple have reached it. I’ll have Len take that tree out as soon as he gets time.” “Looks like he gets busier ’n busier.” “Of course, when the children are getting bigger and bigger and are not doing their share of the work. Len is killing himself trying to bring in enough for ten.” “The boys don’t take after their poppie. An’ if they did, it wouldn’t keep him from workin’ as hard as he could anyhow. I do all I can fer him.” “You could give him better food.” “Ain’t beans good?” “Didn’t you notice yesterday that Len left the table without eating a single bean? He was hot and tired--and _pickled_ beans! He drank a lot of coffee and ate two bites of yellow bread. Then he went to the field to work until night.” “I ain’t ever heard him complain.” “You never will. He’ll die believing you are the only woman on earth.” “He ain’t goin’ to die.” “No. You are going to quit living out of a lard can, a coffee bucket, and a pickle barrel.” She was crying a little. “I ain’t got cans fer puttin’ up stuff,” she said. “I’ll look out for the cans, Serena. You know you can work. I’ve seen you.” “But I kain’t keep it up.” She knew her weakness. Work one day and rest six was her version of the great example.