. And she wuz a pretty
girl with soft, bright innocent eyes. She wuz educated in a convent,
and had the sweet, gentle manners and onworldly look that so many
convent-bred girls have. She and Aronette struck up a warm friendship,
though her pa wouldn't have allowed it I spoze if he hadn't seen how
much store we all sot by Aronette.

We got real well acquainted with Elder Wessel and Lucia; and her proud
pa wuz never tired of singin' her praises or ruther chantin' 'em--he
wuz too dignified to sing. Arvilly loved to talk with him, though
their idees wuz about as congenial as ile and water. He wuz real mild
and conservative, always drinked moderate and always had wine on his
table, and approved of the canteen and saloon, which he extolled as
the Poor Man's Club. He thought that the government wuz jest right,
the big trusts and license laws jest as they should be.

Arvilly dearly loved to send sharp arrows of sarkasm and argument
through his coat armor of dignified complacency and self-esteem, for
truly his idees wuz to her like a red rag to a bull.

Miss Meechim kinder looked down on Arvilly, and I guess Arvilly looked
down on her. You know it happens so sometimes--two folks will feel
real above each other, though it stands to reason that one of 'em must
be mistook. Miss Meechim thought she wuz more genteel than Arvilly,
and was worth more, and I guess she had had better advantages. And
Arvilly thought she knew more than Miss Meechim, and I guess mebby she
did. Miss Meechim thought she wuz jest right herself, she thought her
native land wuz jest right and all its laws and customs, and naterally
she looked down dretfully on all foreigners. She and Arvilly had lots
of little spats about matters and things, though Miss Meechim wuz so
genteel that she kep' her dignity most of the time, though Arvilly gin
it severe raps anon or oftener.

But one tie seemed to unite 'em a little--they wuz real congenial on
the subject of man. They both seemed to cherish an inherent aversion
to that sect of which my pardner is an ornament, and had a strong
settled dislike to matrimony; broken once by Arvilly, as a sailor may
break his habit of sea-faring life by livin' on shore a spell, but
still keepin' up his love for the sea.

But of their talks together and Arvilly's arguments with Elder Wessel
more anon and bime by. Arvilly stood up aginst the sea-sickness as she
would aginst a obstinate subscriber, and finally brought the sickness
to te