316
JOE HALE'S RED STOCKINGS.
"Seems to me this is a mighty thick letter, wife," said Captain 'Lisha when he took it from her hands to carry it to the office. "What have you been sayin'?"
"Oh, not much," replied Mrs. Bennet. "It 's on that thick paper o' yours. I just thanked him for his invitation and told him how much we 'd like to come; but we could n't think on 't—and a few more things."
"The "few more things" were the gist of the letter. After the opening generalities of courtesy, which Mrs. Bennet managed much better than Tilly had in her little note, came the following extra ordinary paragraph:—
"Tilly,—we always call her Tilly for short, but her name is Matilda, same as she signed your letter,—she 's got it into her head that you thought she was a little girl, from her letter. Now, we 've had some words about this. I don't see anything in your letter to make it out of, and if you would n't think it too much trouble, I 'd take it very kindly of you if you 'd write and say what 's the truth about it. 'T ain't often I care which end of a quarrel I come out of, so long 's I know I 'm right; but there ain't any knowing who is right in this one, unless by what you say; and Tilly and me we 've had a good many words about it, first and last. Tilly 's twenty-six, going on twenty-seven; birthday was last August; so she and me are more like
