t no man wuz forthcomin'."

"Dance!" sez I, "dance at ninety years old!"

"She hain't much more'n eighty," sez he, "I don't believe. But anyway,
you won't git me into such a scrape agin. Your sect may be trod on for
all that I care. They may set round till they grow to their chairs and
be trompled down into the ground--and I jest as soon tromple on a few
myself," sez he recklessly.

Oh dear me! what a mysterious curous trial pardners be more'n half the
time! but still I feel that they pay after all.

Let him talk as he would I knew he wuz only carryin' out that fad to
try to be genteel and fashionable, and oh how much trouble I've seen,
from first to last, with that sperit in my pardner!

Well, we didn't stay down much longer. Faith had stepped out of the
long winder behind us and wuz lookin' off onto the glorified river
durin' this _contrary temps_, and as I glanced out of the winder to
look for her I see the huge form of Mr. Pomper hoverin' in the
foreground, and I sez to Josiah, "I think it is time to retire and go
to bed."

And Faith bein' ready to go, we ascended to our rooms. As we passed
one of the landin' places on the staircase where some chairs wuz
placed, I see the ancient dame settin' and sarahuptishously rubbin'
her ankle jints. She straightened up and looked kinder coquetishly at
my pardner, but he swep' by her as if she wuz so much dirt under his
feet. Truly he seemed to be carryin' out his plan of ignorin' my sect
and passin' 'em by scornfully. I may see trouble with that sperit in
him yet.

The next mornin' Josiah wanted Faith and I to go out with him fishin'
and have a fish dinner, a sort of a picnic, on some island on the
fishin' grounds. That's quite a fashionable entertainment. They fish
till they git real hungry I spoze, and then the boatman puts into some
sheltered cove, and the party goes on shore, builds a fire and cooks
some of the fish they have got, and make coffee, and with the nice
lunch they took from the hotel, they have a splendid dinner I spoze,
and take sights of comfort.

Why lots of folks there would go out day after day early in the
morning, and stay until night, and then would walk proudly in with a
long string of fish, and would lay 'em on the desk in the office, and
a admirin' crowd would gather round to look at 'em and wonder how much
they weighed. Why wimmen and children would catch fish so big that it
is a wonder they could draw 'em into the boat, and I spoze they di