ht from our jawin' so much that we wuz man
and wife; and he a yellin' out acrost the sleeper and kinder cryin',
and I a hollerin' back to him to 'shet up and go to sleep!' It is the
last time I will ever try to carry a man to his wife; but I spozed
when I started with him, he bein' a perfessor, he would act
different!"

"Well," sez I, in a kind of a soothin' tone, "I'm real glad you've
come, Arvilly; it will make the ship seem more like Jonesville, and I
know what you have went through."

"Well," sez she, "no other livin' woman duz unless it is you." She
kep' on thinkin' of Josiah, but I waved off that idee; I meant her
tribulations in the army. And I sez, "You may as well spend your money
travelin' as in any other way."

"Yes, I love to travel when I can travel with human creeters, and I
might as well spend my money for myself as to leave it for my cousins
to fight over, and I can pay my way mostly sellin' my book; and I've
left my stuff so it won't spile."

"Where is Waitstill Webb?" sez I.

"Oh, Waitstill has gone back to be a nurse--she's gone to the
Philippines."

Sez I gladly, "Then we shall see her, Arvilly."

"Yes," sez she, "and that wuz one reason that I wanted to go, though
she's acted like a fool, startin' off agin to help the govermunt. I've
done my last work for it, and I told her so; I sez, if see the
govermunt sinkin' in a mud hole I wouldn't lift a finger to help it
out. I always wanted to see China and Japan, but never spozed I
should."

"It is a strange Providence, indeed, Arvilly, that has started us both
from Jonesville to China. But," sez I, "let me make you acquainted
with the rest of our party," and I introduced 'em. Josiah wuz
embracin' Tommy and bein' embraced, and he had seen 'em all but Robert
Strong.

CHAPTER VII

In a few minutes the great ship begun to breathe hard, as if tryin' to
git up strength for the move, and kinder shook itself, and gin a few
hoarse yells, and sot off, seemin' to kinder tremble all over with
eagerness to be gone. And so we sot sail, but ship and shore and
boundless water all looked beautiful and gay to me. What a change,
what a change from the feelin's I had felt; then the cold spectral
moonlight of loneliness rested on shore and Golden Gate, now the
bright sun of love and happiness gilded 'em with their glorious rays,
and I felt well. Well might Mr. Drummond say, "Love is the greatest
thing in the world." And as I looked on my precious pardne