Where have you been for the last ten years ? Aunt Sally fretted a lot over you , thinking you was dead or gone to the bad . '' Lovell 's face clouded . `` I know I ought to have written , '' he said repentantly , `` but you know I 'm a terrible poor scholar , and I 'd do most anything than try to write a letter . But where 's Uncle Tom and Aunt Sally gone ? Surely they ai n't dead ? '' `` No , '' said Jonah Stetson slowly , `` no -- but I guess they 'd rather be . They 're in the poorhouse . '' `` The poorhouse ! Aunt Sally in the poorhouse ! '' exclaimed Lovell . `` Yes , and it 's a burning shame , '' declared Mrs. Stetson . `` Aunt Sally 's just breaking her heart from the disgrace of it . But it did n't seem as if it could be helped . Uncle Tom got so crippled with rheumatism he could n't work and Aunt Sally was too frail to do anything . They had n't any relations and there was a mortgage on the house . '' `` There was n't any when I went away . '' `` No ; they had to borrow money six years ago when Uncle Tom had his first spell of rheumatic fever . This spring it was clear that there was nothing for them but the poorhouse . They went three months ago and terrible hard they took it , especially Aunt Sally , I felt awful about it myself .
Jonah and I would have took them if we could , but we just could n't -- we 've nothing but Jonah 's wages and we have eight children and not a bit XXXXX spare room .
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