minute it wuz
spoke on, to attend to it.

And feelin' as I did--all wrought up on the subject of Christopher
Columbus--it wuz a coincerdence singular enough to skair anybody almost
to death--to think that right on the very day Christopher discovered
America, and us (only 400 years later), and on the very day that I
commenced the fine shirt that Josiah wuz a-goin' to wear to Chicago to
celebrate him in--

That very Friday, if you'll believe me, Christopher Columbus walked
right into our kitchen at Jonesville--and discovered me.

[Illustration: If you'll believe me, Christopher Columbus Allen
walked right into our kitchen--and discovered me.]

Yes, Christopher Columbus Allen, a relative I never had seen, come to
Jonesville and our house on his way to the World's Fair.

Jest to think on't--Christopher Columbus Allen, who had passed his hull
life up in Maine, and then descended down onto us at such a time as
this, when all the relations in Jonesville wuz jest riz up about the
doin's of that great namesake of hisen--And the gussets wuz even then
a-bein' cut out and sewed on to the shirt that wuz a-goin' to encompass
Josiah Allen about as he went to Chicago to celebrate him--

That then, on that Friday, P.M., about the time of day that
the Injuns wuz a-kneelin' to the first Christopher, to think that Josiah
Allen should walk in the new Columbus into our kitchen--why, I don't
spoze a more singular and coincidin' circumstance ever happened before
durin' the hull course of time.

The only incident that mellered it down any and made it a little less
miracalous wuz the fact that he never had been called by his full name.

He always has been, is now, and I spoze always will be called Krit--Krit
Allen.

But still it wuz--in spite of this mellerin' and amelioratin'
circumstance--strikin' and skairful enough to fill me with or.

He wuz a double and twisted relation, as you may say, bein' related to
us on both our own sides, Josiah's and mine.

But I had never sot eyes on him till that day, though I well remember
visitin' his parents, who lived then in the outskirts of Loontown--good
respectable Methodist Epospical people--and runners of a cheese factory
at that time.

Tryphenia Smith, relation on my side, married to Ezra Allen, relation on
Josiah's side.

I remember that I went there on a visit with my mother at a very early
period of my existence. I hadn't existed at that time more'n nine years,
if I had that. We sta