She could not
imagine living without buying things at stores.
"Where'd they get the things to put in a store in those days?" asked
Uncle Henry, argumentatively. "Every single thing had to be lugged clear
from Albany or from Connecticut on horseback."
"Why didn't they use wagons?" asked Elizabeth Ann.
"You can't run a wagon unless you've got a road to run it on, can you?"
asked Uncle Henry. "It was a long, long time before they had any roads.
It's an awful chore to make roads in a new country all woods and hills
and swamps and rocks. You were lucky if there was a good path from your
house to the next settlement."
"Now, Henry," said Aunt Abigail, "do stop going on about old times long
enough to let Betsy answer the question you asked her. You haven't given
her a chance to say how she got on at school."
"Well, I'm AWFULLY mixed up!" said Betsy, complainingly. "I don't know
what I am! I'm second-grade arithmetic and third-grade spelling and
seventh-grade reading and I don't know what in writing or composition.
We didn't have those."
Nobody seemed to think this very remarkable, or even very interesting.
Uncle Henry, indeed, noted it only to say, "Seventh-grade reading!" He
turned to Aunt Abigail. "Oh, Mother, don't you suppose she could read
aloud to us evenings?"
Aunt Abigail and Cousin Ann both laid down their sewing to laugh! "Yes,
yes, Father, and play checkers with you too, like as not!" They
explained to Betsy: "Your Uncle Henry is just daft on being read aloud
to when he's got something to do in the evening, and when he hasn't he's
as fidgety as a broody hen if he can't play checkers.
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