pellin' an' bodaciously
wrastlin' with the alphabit."

He laughed lazily, as he turned his quid of tobacco in his mouth,
recollecting the turbulence of these linguistic turmoils.

"This hyar feller--this Renfrow--he called her in the letter 'My dear
friend'--he did--an' 'lowed he hed a right ter the word, fur ef ever a
man war befriended he hed been. He 'lowed ez he could never furget her.
An' Lord! how it tickled old man Bates ter read them sentiments--the
prideful old peacock! He would jes' stop an' push his spectacles back on
his slick bald head an' say, 'Ye hear me, Loralindy! he 'lows he'll
never furget the keer ye tuk o' him whenst he war shot an' ailin' an'
nigh ter death. An' no mo' he ought, nuther. But some do furget sech ez
that, Loralindy--some do!' An' them fellers at the mill, listenin' ter
the letter, could sca'cely git thar consent ter wait fur old man Bates
ter git through his talk ter Loralindy, that he kin talk ter every day
in the year! But arter awhile he settled his spectacles agin, an' tuk
another tussle with the spellin,' an' then he rips out the main p'int o'
the letter. This stranger-man he 'lowed he war bold enough ter ax
another favior. The cuss tried ter be funny. 'One good turn desarves
another,' he said. 'An' ez ye hev done me one good turn, I want ye ter
do me another.' An' old man Bates hed the insurance ter waste the time
a-laffin' an' a-laffin' at sech a good joke. Them fellers at the mill
could hev fund it in thar hearts ter grind him up in his own hopper, ef
it wouldn't hev ground up with him thar chance o' ever hearin' the e-end
o' that thar interestin' letter. So thar comes the favior. Would she dig
up that box he treasured from whar he told her he hed buried it, arter
he escaped from the attack o' the miners? An' would she take the box ter
Colb'ry in her grandad's wagin, an' send it ter him by express. He hed
tole her once whar he hed placed it--an' ter mark the spot mo' percisely
he hed noticed one Chilhowee lily bulb right beside it. An' then says
the letter, "Good bye, Chilhowee Lily!' An' all them fellers stood
staring."

A light wind was under way from the west. Delicate flakes of red and
glistening white were detached from the clouds. Sails--sails were
unfurling in the vast floods of the skies. With flaunting banners and
swelling canvas a splendid fleet reached half way to the zenith. But a
more multitudinous shipping still swung at anchor low in the west,
though the prom