was noon. And the rest of the time you guessed by how far it was from
the mark. Let's see if I can come anywhere near it now." She looked at it
hard and said: "I guess it's half-past four." She glanced back into the
kitchen at the clock and said: "Oh pshaw! It's ten minutes past five!
Now my grandmother could have told that within five minutes, just by the
place of the shadow. I declare! Sometimes it seems to me that every time
a new piece of machinery comes into the door some of our wits fly out at
the window! Now I couldn't any more live without matches than I could
fly! And yet they all used to get along all right before they had
matches. Makes me feel foolish to think I'm not smart enough to get
along, if I WANTED to, without those little snips of pine and brimstone.
Here, Betsy, take a cooky. It's against my principles to let a child
leave the pantry without having a cooky. My! it does seem like living
again to have a young one around to stuff!"

Betsy took the cooky, but went on with the conversation by exclaiming,
"HOW could ANY-body get along without matches? You HAVE to have
matches."

Aunt Abigail didn't answer at first. They were back in the kitchen now.
She was looking at the clock again. "See here," she said; "it's time I
began getting supper ready. We divide up on the work. Ann gets the
dinner and I get the supper. And everybody gets his own breakfast. Which
would you rather do, help Ann with the dinner, or me with the supper?"

Elizabeth Ann had not had the slightest idea of helping anybody with any
meal, but, confronted unexpectedly with the alternative offered, she
made up her mind so quickly that she didn't want to help Cousin Ann, and
declared so loudly, "Oh, help YOU with the supper!" that her promptness
made her sound quite hearty and willing. "Well, that's fine," said Aunt