a stationary self
movin' gong, or sunthin' of that kind." But I didn't wait to hear any
more; I left the room, and I shouldn't wonder if I shet the door
pretty hard.

CHAPTER TWELVE

IN WHICH JOSIAH STILL WORKS AT HIS PLAN FOR TIRZAH ANN'S COTTAGE, AND
DECIDES TO SEND HIS LUMBER C. O. W.

CHAPTER TWELVE

IN WHICH JOSIAH STILL WORKS AT HIS PLAN FOR TIRZAH ANN'S COTTAGE,
AND DECIDES TO SEND HIS LUMBER C. O. W.

Wall the next evenin', Josiah would make the plan all over, would rub
out red marks and put in blue ones, and then rub 'em out with his
thumb and fore finger, and then anon, forgittin' himself, he'd rub his
forward with the same fingers, till he looked like a wild Injun
started for war. And he would sithe heart breakin' sithes, and moisten
his hands in his mouth, and roll up his shirt sleeves, and toil and
toil till he seemed to git a new plan made after Uncle Nate's idees,
as squatty and curous lookin' as I ever see as I glanced at it in a
cursory way. And he would work at that till some new man come round
with some new idee and then he would (goin' through with all the
motions and acts I have depictered) make a new one. And so it went on
till finally in the fullness of time Josiah produced a dockument
which he said wuz the finest plan ever drawed up in America.

Sez he, "I have at last reached perfection."

"I spoze you'll let me see it now it is finished," I sez.

"Yes," sez he, "I've always been willin' to give you all the chances I
could of improvin' and enlargin' your mind, all that a woman's mind is
strong enough to bear. I am willin', Samantha, that you should look at
it and admire it, now it is too late for you to advocate any
changes."

Sez I coldly, "If I am goin' to see the plan, bring it on."

He laid it before me with a hauty linement and stood off a few steps
to admire it. It wuz drawed up handsome, with little ornaments in blue
and yeller ink runnin' all round the porticos and piazzas, which wuz
in red ink. But on a closer perusal I sez to him:

"What room is this where the walls and ceilin' are all ornamented off
so?"

"The settin' room," sez he.

Sez I, "Where are the winders?"

"The winders?" sez he, lookin' closter at it.

"Yes," sez I, "as the ornaments are all fastened on now there hain't
no winders and no room for any."

"By thunder!" sez he, the second time in my life that I ever hearn him
use that wicked swear word.

And I sez, "I should think you woul