in, a-arguin' and a-disputin'
with myself, and a-carryin' metafors back and forth, and a-eppisodin',
when nobody wuz round.

And as I couldn't seem to come to any clear decision myself, a-disputin'
with jest my own self, I didn't spoze so many different minds would
become simultanous and agreed.

So I jest branched right off and asked Miss Cork "If she had heard that
the minister's wife had got the neuralligy."

I felt that neuralligy wuz a safe subject, and one that could be agreed
on--everybody despised it.

[Illustration: Neuralligy wuz a safe subject.]

And gradual the talk sort o' quieted down, and I led it gradual into
ways of pleasantness and paths of peace.

CHAPTER VII.

Christopher Columbus Allen got along splendid with his railroad
business, and by the time the rest of us wuz ready for the World's Fair,
he wuz.

We didn't have so many preparations to make as we would in other
circumstances, for Ury and Philury wuz goin' to move right into our
house, and do for it jest as well as we would do for ourselves.

They had done this durin' other towers that we had gone off on, and
never had we found our confidence misplaced, or so much as a towel or a
dish-cloth missin'.

We have always done well by them while they wuz workin' for us by the
week or on shares, and they have always jest turned right round and done
well by us.

Thomas Jefferson and Maggie went with us. Tirzah Ann and Whitfield
wuzn't quite ready to go when we did, but they wuz a-comin' later, when
Tirzah Ann had got all her preperations made--her own dresses done, and
Whitfield's night-shirts embroidered, and her stockin's knit.

I love Tirzah Ann. But I can't help seein' that she duz lots of things
that hain't neccessary.

Now it wuzn't neccessary for her to have eleven new dresses made a
purpose to go to the World's Fair, and three white aprons all worked off
round the bibs and pockets.

Good land! what would she want of aprons there in that crowd? And she no
need to had six new complete suits of under-clothes made, all trimmed
off elaborate with tattin' and home-made edgin' before she went. And it
wuzn't neccessary for her to knit two pairs of open-work stockin's with
fine spool thread.

I sez to her, "Tirzah Ann, why don't you buy your stockin's? You can git
good ones for twenty cents. And," sez I, "these will take you weeks and
weeks to knit, besides bein' expensive in thread."

But she said "she couldn't find such nic