Mrs. Marvin's manner was as abrupt as that of her husband.
"Well, well!" she said, as I stepped upon the porch, "guess you must be
beat out comin' so fur. Come in and set by the stove," and she resumed
her work in the pantry without another word.
I was not offended at her curtness. These denizens of the forest pass
too many hours alone and speak too seldom to understand the value of
politeness for politeness' sake. The wife, moreover, redeemed herself
the next morning when I found her on the back porch feeding the birds.
"Snow ain't fur off," she remarked, in explanation, as she scattered the
crumbs about, "and I want 'em to larn early where they kin find
something to eat. Ruby'd never forgive me if I didn't feed the birds.
She loves 'em 'bout as much as Jim does."
Neither she nor her husband became any more cordial as they knew me
better. To them I was only the boarder whose weekly stipend helped to
decrease the farm debt, and who had to be fed three times a day and
given a bed at night.
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