tells on would be a good spot, near the beautiful waterfall where the
boats full of happy Hilariors dash down the steep declivity and bound
way off onto the water and sail away. The view would be so lively and
inspirin', it would be equal to havin' a brass band in your bedroom."

"Yes, jest about like that," sez I. "Do you know what them mountains
are made of? They're jest about as solid as your idees."

"Well, I might build it on the other side of Surf Avenue, nigh that
long line of dashin' horses Serenus depicters, that go racin' and
cavortin' round and round, bearin' the gay and happy Hilariors on
their backs."

"How much do you spoze a lot would cost there, Josiah, if you wuz
ravin' crazy enough to want it? All the property in Jonesville
wouldn't buy a spot big as a table cloth, and I d'no as it would a
towel."

"Well," sez he real sulky, "I can let my mind dwell on it, can't I?
That is some comfort."

"I wouldn't think on't too much, you don't want to tire your mind, it
hain't over strong, you know."

It beats all how sometimes when you are doin' your very best for your
pardners, they don't like it. He acted huffy.

But at last it wuz settled, Tirzah Ann's cottage wuz to be begun the
minute they left, it wuz to be kep secret from 'em, and we wuz to have
a surprize party there, to welcome 'em home. Well, from the very day
it wuz settled begun my trials with Josiah Allen about the plan. My
idee wuz to employ a first rate architect, but he sez:

"I can tell you, Mom, if that plan is made I shall make it. There
hain't an architect in the country that could begin with me in drawin'
up this plan." Oh how I sithed and groaned when I see his sotness, and
knowed he wuz no more fit for the job than our old steer to give music
lessons on the banjo.

He went to the village that afternoon and obtained two long blank
books (oh that they could have stayed blank) and three quires of
fool's cap paper (well named) and a bottle of red ink and one of blue
ink, besides black, and a dozen pencils of different colors, and after
these elaborate preparations he begun drawin' up his plans.

He would roll up his sleeves, moisten his hands, and go to work early
in the mornin', and set and pour over 'em all day, every stormy day,
and every night he sot up so late goin' over 'em that he most
underminded his health, to say nothin' of the waste of my temper and
kerseen. And then he would call in uncle Nate Peedick and they would
bend