hought that was ruther
craoudin' a feller; but I see she was goan sure, an' I'd got inter a
way er considerin' the cash mine, so that it come hard to hear abaout
givin' on 't up. Off I went that evenin' an' asked Almiry Nash ef
she'd hev me. No, she wouldn't; I'd shilly-shallyed so long, she'd got
tired er waitin' and took tew keepin' company with a doctor daown ter
Banggore, where she'd ben visitin' a spell. I didn't find that as hard
a nub to swaller, as I'd a thought I would, though Almiry was the
richest, pootiest, and good-naterest of the lot. Aunt larfed waal, an'
told me tew try ag'in; so a couple er nights arfter, I spruced up, an'
went over to Car'line Miles's; she was as smart as old cheese, an'
waal off in tew the barg'in. I was just as sure she'd hev me, as I be
that I'm gittin' the rewmatiz a settin' in this ma'sh. But that minx,
Almiry, hed ben and let on abaout her own sarsy way er servin' on
me, an' Car'line jest up an' said she warn't goan to hev annybuddy's
leavin's; so daown I come ag'in.

"Things was gettin' desper't by that time; fer aunt was failin' rapid,
an' the story hed leaked aout some way, so the hull taown was gigglin'
over it. I thought I'd better quit them parts; but aunt she showed me
her will all done complete, 'sceptin the fust name er the legatee.
'There,' sez she, 'it all depends on yeou, whether that place is took
by Hiram or Josiah. It's easy done, an' so it's goan tew stan till the
last minit.' That riled me consid'able, an' I streaked off tew May
Jane Simlin's. She wan't very waal off, nor extra harnsome, but she
was pious the worst kind, an' dreadf'l clever to them she fancied.
But I was daown on my luck ag'in; fer at the fust word I spoke of
merryin', she showed me the door, an' give me to understan' that she
couldn't think er hevin' a man that warn't a church-member, that
hadn't experienced religion, or even ben struck with conviction, an'
all the rest on't. Ef anny one hed a wanted tew hev seen a walkin'
hornet's nest, they could hev done it cheap that night, as I went hum.
I jest bounced intew the kitchen, chucked my hat intew one corner,
my coat intew 'nother, kicked the cat, cussed the fire, drawed up a
chair, and set scaoulin' like sixty, bein' tew mad fer talkin'. The
young woman that was nussin' aunt,--Bewlah Blish, by name,--was a
cooking grewel on the coals, and 'peared tew understan' the mess I was
in; but she didn't say nothin', only blowed up the fire, fetched me a