Mother had been used to much better days and to treating her guests well, andher early life in Michigan did not take all of her spirit away. She occasionally was alittle proud as well as I, but I have learned that pride, hard times andpoverty are somewhat poor companions. It was no consolation to think that theneighbors, most of them, were as bad off as we were. This made the thingstill much worse.

CHAPTER IX.