"'It's no sich thing,' says she. 'I waited on her as good as if she was my own; but I had lots to do to-day, an' I tole her this mornin' I was done packin' victuals up stairs for a lazy trollop like her, an' she could come down to dinner if she wanted any. She's plenty able to, Nancy Riley, an' it's my 'pinion she didn't take half care of that baby. An' she set Jim agin me. He's fixin' to go off to live by hisself.' "I jes' turned round and left her, an' she bounced up an' says to one of the women, 'I spect you're all hungry, an' I'll get supper'; an' in spite of all they could do, to work she went." "Oh, yes," said Mrs. Johnson, "the madder she got the harder she'd work, an' a mighty good worker, too, she was; but how did that poor Rhody get along?" "Well, she lay quiet all that mornin', but about the middle of the afternoon she roused up and seemed to know me an' Jim, an' asked for the baby. "'It's down stairs, Rhody,' says I. "She looked at me so queer. "'Is it?' she said. 'Mother was mad, Jim, an' wouldn't come up stairs; an' baby was so sick, an' I tried to call her, an' I couldn't make her hear, an' then I tried to go down stairs an' I couldn't, an' baby got so stiff and cold, an' I couldn't get him warm.' An' then, O Mis' Johnson, she began to scream again. It was awful, but after a while she was still again for several hours, an' I tried to get Jim to lay down, but he wouldn't leave her; an' his mother come up for him to get him to go down an' eat somethin', but he jes' looked at her, an' she went an' left him. "It was night when Rhody roused up agin', an' she looked so much better out of her eyes that I felt sort a cheered. "'Jim,' she says, whispering, 'is that Aunt Nancy?' "'Yes, dear,' he says. "'An' has she got the baby?' she went on. "Well, Jim didn't say nothin', pore feller, an' she says, "'Aunt Nancy, when Jim an' me's keepin' house you'll come an' see us?' "'Yes, dear,' I says. 'Now go to sleep, like a good girl.' "'All right,' she says, 'you keep the baby, an', Jim, kiss me good night. I love you--Jim. We'll be--so happy--by--ourselves.' "The last words were a long time comin', an' Jim, after he kissed her, looked at me an' whispered, 'Send for the doctor.' I hurried out, but before the doctor came he was not needed. Rhody had said her last good night." "How did Mary Ann take it?" said Mrs. Johnson, wiping her eyes. "Laws, she tuk on like all possessed, cried and hollered till I thought she'd go inter fits; but somehow I felt sorrier for the ole man. He'd stan' an' look at the pore thing after she was laid out, an' the big tears'd run down his wrinkled face, an' he says to me, 'She's too good fur this world, Nancy, Rhody was.'" Just then the brakeman shouted the name of the town at which I was to stop, and I must gather up my traps. I leaned over and whispered to "Aunt Nancy," "What did poor Jim do?" The old lady's face flushed. "Was you a-listenin'?" says she.