Tamer Ann, that's his Ma, don't like it, she wants it brushed back tight to show his intellect, and nags at Jack because he don't keep it back. Sez she in a very cross tone:
"Folks will think you hain't got any intellect at all if they see your hair all over your forward."
And I sez, "I wouldn't worry, Tamer Ann, if the intellect is there it will work out, hair or no hair, and if it hain't there no amount of plasterin' the hair back will show it off—I've seen it tried." Sez I in a milder tone, seem' she looked kinder mad:
"I've seen hair brushed back straight from the forward so's to give a free pass to the intellect, and left long on the neck to entice it out, but it wouldn't appear, for the reason it wuzn't there. Don't you worry about Jack, Tamer Ann, you'll find his intellect will push its way through them curls—I hain't a mite afraid on't.
"And at the same time, Jack," sez I, for Duty is my companion and I foller her blindly, "you must try to mind your Ma and keep the curls back."
Jack laughed and run his hand through 'em and put 'em back. Jack always minds me, or, that is, most always.
Now I don't always mind the Higher Teacher, I don't always set the stitches right in the great sampler that is hung up before me from day to day. It is a true remark that wuz once made at a conference meetin' that "We often leave ondone the things that ort to be done, and do the things that we hadn't ort. Then why should I be hard on Jack when occasionally, very occasionally, mind you, he don't do exactly as he ort, or duz as he ortn't."
You see our Heavenly Father tells us what to do, He
