could catch us on the
boat if they wanted to. John knows we're goin' on the boat, and if he
peaches, why, we're caught."

John backed up the horses and we got in and so started off. Then Mitch
began to feel John out. As we passed the depot he says: "I suppose you
don't want to telegraph Aunt Caroline (that was John's wife) that we're
comin' and you've got company."

"Telegraph," says John, with a chuckle and a giggle. "Why, I never sent
a telegram in my life, and besides Aunt Caroline always has enough to
eat, and we have two spare beds, so what's the use of wastin' money on a
telegram?"

I nudged Mitch. A part of the way to John's we went along the edge of a
place where nothin' growed at all. There wasn't a weed or a tree. John
said it was the Mason County desert, and onct he got over in there and
got lost, that there wasn't a livin' thing in there, and not a crow ever
flew over it.

And then we came to Oakford--not as nice a town as Bobtown, the houses
not so white, and not the same well-kept look. But John had a fine
house, not very big, nice and comfortable with a big yard, and a brick
walk and flowers. It was right at the edge of town and his farm went way
off clear to the woods.

Aunt Caroline just said howdy and smiled and went into the kitchen; and
John went to the sink and washed out of a pan and we did, and then we
had supper; the most jellies I ever saw, and wild honey, and cold ham,
and fried chicken, and several kinds of bread, and cake and berries and
cream. So after that Mitch and me was about caught up on meals. John
talked all the time at supper and swore a good deal, about every other
word, not the worst swearin', but regular swearin'; and he kept tellin'
one thing and then another about folks around the country, things that
had happened. But all the time Aunt Caroline just set there and et and
never said a word.

After supper John said he'd go over and get Vangy to play the organ and
keep time for him. Says he, "You can't fiddle without a organ or
somethin' to keep time. That warn't no fiddlin' on the boat." So John
went out and that left us with Aunt Caroline, and she just cleaned up
the dishes awful nice and orderly, but never said nothin'--not a word.

John was gone at least half an hour. He came in then and said Vangy
would be over, then he went to a trunk and got out a Bible, and showed
it to us. And says he, "Linkern read out of this, by God." That was the
swear word he kept usin', and