their two gray bald heads together and talk about
"specifications" and "elevations" and "ground plans" and "suller
plans" till my head seemed to turn and my brain seemed most as soft as
theirn.

[Illustration: "_And then he would call in Uncle Nate Peedick and they
would bend their two gray bald heads and talk about
specifications and elevations till my brain seemed most as
soft as theirn._" (_See page 195_)]

And sometimes Serenus Gowdey would be called in to aid in their
deliberations, though their talk always led off onto Coney Island and
rested there, he didn't git no other idees out of him. Josiah never
called on a woman for advice and counsel, not once, though a woman
stood nigh him who wuz eminently qualified to pass a first class
judgment on the plan. But no, it wuz males only who gin him their
deepest thoughts and counsels. Once in awhile I would ask how many
stories he wuz layin' out to have it, and how big it wuz goin' to be,
and every time I asked him he said:

"Wimmen's minds wuz too weak to comprehend his views. It took a man's
mind to tackle such a subject and throw it."

And that would mad me so that it would be some time before I would ask
him agin, and then curosity would git the better of me and I would ask
him agin sunthin' about it, but his reply wuz always the same:

"Wimmen's minds wuz too weak and tottlin' to tackle the subject." So
all the light I could git wuz to hear him talk it over with some man.
I see that there wuz a great difference of opinion between 'em.
Josiah, true father of Tirzah Ann, seemed anxious mainly to unite
display and cheapness. Uncle Nate seemed more for solidity and
comfort. Sez Josiah to him:

"It is my idee to have the house riz up jest as high as the timbers
will stand, the main expense anyway is the foundation and floorin' and
I would rise up story after story all ornamented off beautiful and
cheap, basswood sawed off in pints makes beautiful ornaments, and what
a show it would make round the country, and what air you could git up
in the seventh or eight story."

So he would go on and argy, regardless of common sense or Tirzah Ann's
legs. And then Uncle Nate would reply:

"Josiah, safety lays on the ground, and in this climate more liable
each year to tornadoes and cyclones, the only safety lays in spreadin'
out on the ground. Build only one story," sez he, "and a low one at
that, and let it spread out every way as much as it wants to."

"But," sez Josiah