de the observation that "I wuz
jest about melted, and so wuz my Josiah, and my room wuz like a dry oven
and a tin can."

I wouldn't have said it if I hadn't been so sort o' flustrated, and by
the side of myself.

And he jest swung open his door into a big cool parlor, and I could see
beyend the doors open into two or three other handsome rooms.

And, sez he, "I wish, Mrs. Allen, that you and your husband would come
in here and see if it isn't cooler." Sez he, "I feel rather lonesome,
and would be glad to have you come in and visit for a spell."

He told me afterwards that it wuz the anniversary of his mother's death.

He looked sort o' sad, and as if he really wanted company. So we thanked
him, or I did, and we walked in and sot down in some big, cool cane-seat
easy-chairs.

And we sot there and visited back and forth for quite a spell, and took
comfort. Yes, indeed, we did. This room wuz on the cool side of the
house, and the still side. And it wuz big and furnished beautiful. It
wuzn't Miss Plank's taste, I could see that.

No, her taste is fervent and gorgeous. Gildin' is her favorite
embellishment, and chromos, high-colored, and red.

This room wuz covered with pure white mattin', and such rugs on it
scattered over the floor as I never see, and don't know as I ever shall
see agin.

Some on 'em was pure white silky fur, and some on 'em as rich in
colorin' as the most wonderful sunset colors you ever see in the red and
golden west, or in the trees of a maple forest in October.

And such pictures as hung on the walls I never see.

Why, on one side of the room hung a picture that looked as if you wuz
a-gazin' right out into a green field at sunset. There wuz a deep, cool
rivulet a-gurglin' along over the pebbles, and the green, moist
rushes--why, you could almost hear it.

And the blue sky above--why, you could almost see right up through it,
it looked so clear and transparent. And the cattle a-comin'up through
the bars to be milked. Why, you could almost hear the girl call, "Co,
boss! co, boss!" as she stood by the side of the bars with her
sun-bunnet a-hangin' back from her pretty face, and her milk-pail on her
arm.

[Illustration: "Co, boss! co, boss!"]

Why, you could fairly hear the swash, swash of the water, as the old
brindle cow plashed through its cool waves.

It beat all I ever see, and Josiah felt jest as I did. The beautiful
face of the girl looked dretful familiar to me, though I couldn't