her mind on Robert Strong's
protection, and Robert and Dorothy seemed to enjoy themselves better
and better all the time, singing together, and walking up and down the
deck for hours on pleasant days and matchless nights lit with the
brilliant light of moon and star, and Southern Cross, and I didn't
know what other light might be shinin' on 'em onbeknown to Miss
Meechim, but mistrusted by me.

Elder Wessel, when we wuz with Lucia, didn't seem to want anything
else on earth. She wuz a pretty girl, but I could see that she wuz
very romantic; she had read sights of novels, and wuz lookin' out for
some prince in disguise to ride up on a white charger to carry her off
and share his throne. But I could see that if the right influences wuz
throwd around her she had the makin' of a noble woman in her, and I
hoped she would grow up a good, helpful woman. She had a great
influence over Aronette, whose nater wuz more yieldin' and gentle, and
I didn't altogether approve of their intimacy, but considered that it
would be broke off pretty quick, as they would part for good and all
when we got to China. You may wonder why I worried about Aronette;
well, the reason wuz, I loved her, jest as everybody else did who knew
her well. She wuz a darling girl, always sweet tempered, always trying
to help somebody; Dorothy loved her just as much as though she wuz her
sister and would have treated her exactly like one if it hadn't been
for Miss Meechim. She loved Aronette herself, and showed her love by
her goodness, buying her everything she needed and didn't need, but
she wuz so hauty naturally that she insisted on Aronette's keepin' her
place, as she said. And she was so sweet dispositioned and humble
sperited she didn't want to do any different. Well, I spoze Miss
Meechim wuz right; if Aronette wuz Dorothy's maid it wuzn't to be
expected that she would take her visitin' with her, and it wuz
Aronette's delight to wait on Dorothy as devotedly as if no ties of
love bound their young hearts together. Robert Strong liked and
respected her, I spoze mebby on Dorothy's account, and Tommy adored
her; why, even Josiah felt towards her, he said, some as if she wuz
Tirzah Ann growed young agin.

Arvilly's heart she won completely by makin' her a bag to carry the
"Twin Crimes" in. It wuz made of handsome black silk, worked all round
in pink silk in a handsome pattern, and she had worked on one side in
big letters, "The Twin Crimes of America, Intemperan