human
Emma, he said at length,
gpt
Judge Tom says women are like God. He stood near her and smoothed her hair, and patted her cheek as he pressed her head against his side.
human
I guess he's right--eh? Lila was in the loft getting eggs and she overheard a lot of his fool talk. The daughter made no reply. The Captain worked on and finally said:
gpt
It kind of hit Tom hard to have Lila hear him; took the tuck out of him, eh?
human
My dear, the more I know of women the better I think of God, and the surer I am of God, the better I think of women--what say? He sat on the box beside her and took her hand in his hard, cracked, grimy hand,
gpt
Well, Father, I agree with you in general about women but in particular I don't care about Mrs. Herdicker and I wish Martha had another job, though I suppose it's better than teaching school. The daughter sighed.
human
Honest, father, sometimes when I've been on my feet all day, and the children have been mean, and the janitor sticks his head in and grins, so I'll know the superintendent is in the building and get the work off the board that the rules don't allow me to put on, or one of the other girls sends a note up to watch for my spelling for he's cranky on spelling to-day, I just think, 'Lordee, if I had a job in some one's kitchen, I'd be too happy to breathe.' But then--
gpt
Yes--yes, child--I know it's hard work now--but 'y gory, Emmy, when I get this sprocket introduced and going, I'll buy you six superintendents in a brass cage and let you feed 'em biled eggs to make 'em sing--eh? He smiled and patted his daughter's hair and rose to go back to work. The girl plucked at his coat and said:
human
Now sit down, father, I want to talk to you, she hesitated.
gpt
It's about Mr. Brotherton. You know he's been coming out here for years and I thought he was coming to see me, and now Martha thinks he comes to see her, and Martha always stays there and so does Ruth, and if he is coming to see me-- she stopped. Her father looked at her in astonishment.
human
Why, father, she went on,--
gpt
Yes, or Epaminondas--the cat--eh? cut in the old man. Then he added, indignantly,
human
Well, how about this singing Jasper Adams--who's he coming to see? Or Amos--he comes around here sometimes Saturday night after G. A. R. meeting, with me--what say? Would you want us all to clear out and leave you the front room with him?
gpt
Twenty-five years old--twenty-five years--why, girl, in my time a girl was an old maid laid on the shelf at twenty-five--and here you are, he mused,
human
But he did know enough to draw her to him and kiss her and sigh.
gpt
Well--maybe I can do something--maybe--we'll see. And then she left him and he went to his work. And as he worked the thought struck him suddenly that if he could put one of his sprockets in the Judge's automobile where he had seen a chain, that it would save power and stop much of the noise. So as he worked he dreamed that his sprocket was adopted by the makers of the new machines, and that he was rich--exceedingly rich and that he took the girls to visit the Ohio kin, and that Emma had her trip to the Grand Canyon, that Martha went to Europe and that Ruthie