OLD HOGGEN: A MYSTERY
“If he had the spirit of a man in him, he would go himself,” said my mother-in-law.
“Indeed, I think you might, Augustus. I know I often deny myself and make efforts to please you, and you know that my dear mamma loves crabs,” said my mother-in-law’s daughter.
“Far be it from me to interfere,” said Cousin Jemima, as they call her, smoothing down her capstrings as she spoke. “But I do think that it would be well if Cousin Kate—who, like myself, is not at all so strong as she looks—could have something to tempt her appetite.”
Cousin Jemima, who was my mother-in-law’s cousin, was as robust as a Swiss guide, and had the appetite and digestion of a wild Indian. I began to get riled.
“What on Earth are you all talking about?” said I. “One would think you were all suffe
