so hefty es men's."

But I jest waded into the argument then. I jest interfered, and sez in a
loud, clear tone,

"Oh, shaw!"

And then I sez further, in the same calm, clear tones, but dry as ever a
dry oven wuz in its dryest times. Sez I,

"If you men can't help us any about the meetin' house, you'd better get
out of our way, for we wimmen have got to go to scrubbin' right where
you are a-standin'."

"Certainly," sez Josiah, in a polite axent, "certainly."

And so the rest of the men said.

And Josiah added to his remarks, as he went down the steps,

"You'd better get home, Samantha, in time to cook a hen, and make some
puddin', and so forth."

And I sez, with quite a lot of dignity, "Have I ever failed, Josiah
Allen, to have good dinners for you, and on time too?"

"No," sez he, "but I thought I would jest stop to remind you of it,
and also to tell you the last news from the Conference, about the
deaconesses."

And so they trailed down one after another, and left us to our work
in the meetin' house; but as they disapered round the corner, Sister
Arvilly Lanfear, who hain't married, and who has got a sharp tongue
(some think that is why, but I don't; I believe Arvilly has had
chances).

But any way, she sez, as they went down the steps,

"I'll bet them men wuz a-practisen' their new parts of men
superentendents, and look on us as a lot of deaconesses."

[Illustration: "JOSIAH ADDED TO HIS REMARKS."]

"Wall," sez Sister Gowdy--she loves to put on Arvilly--"wall, you have
got one qualificatin', Arvilly!"

"Yes, thank the Lord," sez she.

And I never asked what she meant, but knew well enough that she spoke of
her single state. But Arvilly has had chances, _I_ think.

CHAPTER XXII.

I got home in time to get a good supper, though mebbe I ortn't to say
it.

Sure enough, Josiah Allen had killed a hen, and dressed it ready for me
to brile, but it wuz young and tender, and I knew it wouldn't take long,
so I didn't care.

Good land! I love to humor him, and he knows it. Casper Keeler come in
jest as I wuz a-gettin' supper and I thought like as not he would stay
to supper; I laid out to ask him. But I didn't take no more pains on his
account. No, I do jest as well by Josiah Allen from day to day, as if he
wuz company, or lay out to.

Casper came over on a errent about that buzz saw mill. He wuz in dretful
good spirits, though he looked kinder peaked.

He had jest got home from the city.