sold her book. Well, I wuz
surprised, but glad, for I pitied Arvilly dretfully for what she had
went through, and liked her. Two passengers had gin up goin' at the
last minute or they couldn't have got tickets.

I advanced towards her and sez: "Arvilly Lanfear! or she that wuz, is
it you?"

"Yes, I've come, and if ever a human creeter come through sufferin' I
have. Why, I've been agent for 'The Wild Deeds of Men' for years and
years, but I never knew anything about 'em till I come on this tower.
I thought that I should never git that man here alive. He has wep' and
wailed the hull durin' time for fear we shouldn't ketch you."

"Oh, no, Arvilly!" sez the joyous-lookin' Josiah.

"I can prove it!" sez she, catchin' out his red and yeller bandanna
handkerchief from his hat, where he always carries it: "Look at that,
wet as sop!" sez she, as she held it up. It wuz proof, Josiah said no
more.

"I knew we should ketch you, for I knew you would stop on the way. I
thought I would meet you at the deepo to surprise you. But I had to
bank my house; I wuzn't goin' to leave it to no underlin' and have my
stuff freeze. But when I hern that Josiah wuz comin' I jest dropped my
spade--I had jest got done--ketched up my book and threw my things
into my grip, my trunk wuz all packed, and here I am, safe and sound,
though the cars broke down once and we wuz belated. We have just
traipsed along a day or two behind you all the way from Chicago, I not
knowin' whether I could keep him alive or not."

Sez I fondly, "What devoted love!"

"What a natural fool!" sez Arvilly. "Did it make it any better for him
to cry and take on? That day we broke down and had to stop at a tarven
I wuz jest mad enough, and writ myself another chapter on 'The Wild
Deeds of Men,' and am in hopes that the publisher will print it. It
will help the book enormously I know. How you've stood it with that
man all these years, I don't see; rampin' round, tearin' and groanin'
and actin'. He didn't act no more like a perfessor than--than Captain
Kidd would if he had been travelin' with a neighborin' female,
pursuin' his wife, and that female doin' the best she could for him. I
kep' tellin' him that he would overtake you, but I might as well have
talked to the wind--a equinoctial gale," sez she. Josiah wuz so happy
her words slipped offen him without his sensin' 'em and I wuz too
happy to dispute or lay anything up, when she went on and sez:

"I spoze that folks thoug