My brothers an' sisters--'ceptin' of Polly--was putty nigh as bad in respect of cuffs an' such like; an' my step-marm was, on the hull, the wust of all.

She hadn't no childern o' her own, an' it appeared 's if I was jest pizen to her.

'T wa'n't so much slappin' an' cuffin' with her as 't was tongue.
She c'd say things that 'd jest raise a blister like pizen ivy.

I s'pose I _was_ about as ord'nary, no-account-lookin', red-headed, freckled little cuss as you ever see, an' slinkin' in my manners.

The air of our home circle wa'n't cal'lated to raise heroes in.
"I got three four years' schoolin', an' made out to read an' write an' cipher up to long division 'fore I got through, but after I got to be six year old, school or no school, I had to work reg'lar at anything I had strength fer, an' more too.