Mrs. Ross tapped significantly on her forehead to indicate a state
of addlement.
"But I talked with her this afternoon," I objected, "and I found
her a sensible woman--remarkably bright for one of her years."
"Aye, an' I'm grantun' all thot you say," she went on calmly. "But
I am no referrun' tull thot. I am referrun' tull her wucked-headed
an' vucious stubbornness. No more stubborn woman ever luv'd than
Margaret Henan. Ut was all on account o' Samuel, which was the
name o' her youngest an' they do say her favourut brother--hum oz
died by hus own hond all through the munuster's mustake un no
registerun' the new church ot Dublin. Ut was a lesson thot the
name was musfortunate, but she would no take ut, an' there was talk
when she called her first child Samuel--hum thot died o' the croup.
An' wuth thot what does she do but call the next one Samuel, an'
hum only three when he fell un tull the tub o' hot watter an' was
plain cooked tull death. Ut all come, I tell you, o' her wucked-
headed an' foolush stubbornness. For a Samuel she must hov; an' ut
was the death of the four of her sons. After the first, dudna her
own mother go down un the dirt tull her feet, a-beggun' an'
pleadun' wuth her no tull name her next one Samuel? But she was no
tull be turned from her purpose. Margaret Henan was always set on
her ways, an' never more so thon on thot name Samuel.
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