"And what is the law? It don't forbid us to shelter those poor creatures
a night, does it, and to give 'em something comfortable to eat, and a
few old clothes, and send them quietly about their business?"

"Why, yes, my dear; that would be aiding and abetting, you know."

Mrs. Bird was a timid, blushing little woman, of about four feet in
height, and with mild blue eyes, and a peach-blow complexion, and the
gentlest, sweetest voice in the world;--as for courage, a moderate-sized
cock-turkey had been known to put her to rout at the very first gobble,
and a stout house-dog, of moderate capacity, would bring her into
subjection merely by a show of his teeth. Her husband and children were
her entire world, and in these she ruled more by entreaty and persuasion
than by command or argument. There was only one thing that was capable
of arousing her, and that provocation came in on the side of her
unusually gentle and sympathetic nature;--anything in the shape of
cruelty would throw her into a passion, which was the more alarming
and inexplicable in proportion to the general softness of her nature.
Generally the most indulgent and easy to be entreated of all mothers,
still her boys had a very reverent remembrance of a most vehement
chastisement she once bestowed on them, because she found them leagued
with several graceless boys of the neighborhood, stoning a defenceless
kitten.

"I'll tell you what," Master Bill used to say, "I was scared that time.
Mother came at me so that I thought she was crazy, and I was whipped
and tumbled off to bed, without any supper, before I could get over
wondering what had come about; and, after that, I heard mother crying
outside the door, which made me feel worse than all the rest. I'll tell