look
upon. She wuz always very sweet and gentle in her ways. As wuz said
of her once, she entered a room so quietly and gracefully, she made
all the other wimmen there feel as if they'd come in on horse-back.
Now that I hadn't seen her for some time, it seemed as if I hadn't
remembered how lovely and interestin' she wuz.

We had a good visit talkin' about the world's work, and reciprocity,
and Woman's suffrage--which we both believed in--and hens, both
settin' and layin'. And we talked about the relation on our two sides.
Of course, some of the wimmen hadn't done as we thought they ort to;
but we didn't run 'em, only wuz sorry they wuz so different.

There wuz Aunt Nancy John and Aunt Nancy Jim, widders of the two old
Smith twins. I told Faith I wuz sorry they wuzn't more like her mother
and mine, our mothers wuz so much better dispositioned, and fur better
lookin', and didn't try to color their hair and act younger than they
wuz; and Uncle Preserved's boy, a lawyer, I told Faith it wuz a pity
he wuzn't more like our Thomas Jefferson, though it wuzn't to be
expected that there _could_ be two boys amongst the relations so
nearly perfect as Thomas Jefferson wuz; but I didn't act hauty, only
wuz sorry he hadn't turned out so well.

And Uncle Lemuel's two girls, I said I wouldn't want it told out of
the family, but they wuz extravagant and slack, and their houses
didn't look much like Tirzah Ann's and Maggie's house. But we hadn't
ort to expect many such housekeepers as our children wuz. And we
talked about the Thousand Islands and she promised to go out with
Josiah and me the next summer if nothin' happened. And Josiah then and
there, tried to make us promise to go to Coney Island on our way
there. "On our way," sez I, "it would be five hundred milds out of our
way!"

"And well worth it!" sez he, "to see what Serenus see, and hear what
Serenus hearn. Why I git so carried away jest hearin' about that
magnificent spot that I have to fairly hang onto myself to keep from
startin' there to once bareheaded."

"I know it, Josiah; you've acted luny about it. And if jest hearin'
about it harrers your nerve so, what would seein' it do?"

"My nerve ain't harrered," he sez.

Sez I, "Can you deny I have had to give you quarts of catnip after you
have had a seancy with Serenus about that frivolous spot, full of
hilarity and temptation?"

"Because you have drownded out my insides with catnip, it hain't no
sign I needed it. An