"Now, children, this twenty-fifth verse ends up the creation of the world and all its animals. Then God called a halt and said, 'Let us make something special.' What was it?" "Man, man," we said. "What was man to be like?" "Just like God himself." "Is God an animal?" "No." "What is He?" "Nobody knows." "Think again, what did I read last Sunday about Christ at Jacob's well?" "Oh, yes, God is a spirit." "Then is man a spirit or an animal?" "Both," I said. "How so, Merrick?" "Why, God made she-male man and he-male man of dirt, so they could have a lot of children. Then the image man, we cannot see, who was to do the thinking, was to have dominion, that means it was to boss themselves and everything else around. That is the man that goes to Heaven when he dies." "How is that, Luna, for a boy of eight years old?" he said to mother. "You are all right, Merrick," she said, drawing me to her for a kiss. "Now, you must try to govern yourself and not be so stubborn, even if you do think you are in the right. Let wisdom instead of spunk be your guide, and then the angels will be with you in your dreams and our pretty school-ma'am will not have to switch you so often." "Pretty school-ma'am, eh! Why, she walks just exactly like a cow." HUSKING BEE One of my earliest recollections is of hearing mother telling a neighbor housewife about the prayer meeting up at Uncle Sam's. Mother was a great tease, and to see her act out Aunt Lovey in this particular case was enough to make the bushes laugh. In order to picture the scene at the prayer meeting, I will give one of mother's escapades by the way of contrast between Lovey, Uncle Sam's wife, and her wide-awake sisters, of which mother was accused of being the ring leader in many daring acts. Therefore, I will begin with the story of the husking bee at Grandfather Dimock's home, when mother was a girl. At a husking in those days all in the neighborhood would gather, not so much, I imagine, to husk corn as for the frolic, and the good things they had to eat. The custom was to set the shocks of corn around a large circle and all husk from the outside. Then if a lady found a red ear she was privileged, if she dare, to throw it across a space at a man whom, if she hit, was privileged to chase her around the outer ring, for which if he caught her while on the circuit he could kiss her. Well, mother found a red ear and she threw it at the minister, hitting him, whack! side of the head. His name was Frink, a real minister of the Gospel, yet he could not allow such an opportunity to escape, so he dropped his dignity and started. [Illustration: GIRL RUNNING REPRESENTS MY MOTHER WHEN 16. FRINK, THE MINISTER, CHASING FOR A KISS WHICH HE DID NOT GET.] The arranged plan was that all should get out of the way to give the lady a chance to run, while the real plan was for all to stumble into the way and see the fun.