And he wanted to show the
"Leaping Cow Boy" to some agents to the tavern in Jonesville on his way
home, and to some wimmen on the old Plank road. Two or three of the
wimmen had gin hopes that they would take the "Leaping Cow Boy."

And then they said--the hull three of the deacons did--that any minute
them other deacons who wuz goin' into partnership with 'em in the buzz
saw business wuz liable to drive down to see 'em about it.

And some of the other men brethren said their farms and their live stock
demanded the hull of their time--every minute of it.

So we see jest how it wuz, we see these male deacons couldn't devote any
of their time to the meetin' house, nor those other brethren nuther.

We see that their time wuz too valuable, and their own business devoured
the hull on it. And we married Sisters, who wuz acestemed to the strange
and mysterius ways of male men, we accepted the situation jest es we
would any other mysterius dispensation, and didn't say nothin'.

Good land! We wuz used to curius sayin's and doin's, every one on us.
Curius as a dog, and curiuser.

But Sister Meechim (onmarried), she is dretful questinin' and inquirin'
(men don't like her, they say she prys into subjects she's no business
to meddle with). She sez to Josiah:

"Why is it, Deacon Allen, that men deacons can carry on all sorts of
business and still be deacons, while wimmen deacons are obleeged to give
up all other business and devote themselves wholly to their work?"

"It is on account of their minds," sez Josiah. "Men have got stronger
minds than wimmen, that is the reason."

And Sister Meechim sez agin--

"Why is it that wimmen deacons have to remain onmarried, while men
deacons can marry one wife after another through a long life, that is,
if they are took from 'em by death or a divorce lawyer?"

"Wall," sez Josiah, "that, too, is on account of their brains. Their
brains hain't so hefty es men's."

But I jest waded into the argument then. I jest interfered, and sez in a
loud, clear tone,

"Oh, shaw!"

And then I sez further, in the same calm, clear tones, but dry as ever a
dry oven wuz in its dryest times. Sez I,

"If you men can't help us any about the meetin' house, you'd better get
out of our way, for we wimmen have got to go to scrubbin' right where
you are a-standin'."

"Certainly," sez Josiah, in a polite axent, "certainly."

And so the rest of the men said.

And Josiah added to his remarks, as he went do