"But," the little wife had rejoined, "it'll be a mite o' comfort a-knowin' a body's so near, even ef yer can't git tew 'em.

She was 'tached tew the place, hated tew hev it let or sold, thought I'd go to everlastin' rewin ef I took tew lumberin' ag'in, an' hevin' a tidy little sum er money all her own, she took a notion tew buy me off.

I'll give yew all the money yew want fer advertisin', an' yew kin say he'll be clothed an' dressed proper, tew, an' supplied with terbaccer an' readin'-matter besides; but jest wait till the directors read that advertisement!

"Sam'l Darby," he said stubbornly, "ef yew've come tew drag me back to that air Beach, yew 're wastin' time.

Cousin Siah, as we called Josiah, didn't cotton tew the old woman, though he did tew her cash; but we hitched along fust-rate.

Hed n't no idee where it went tew, but I cal'lated I wus middlin' sure t' know 'fore long.

Don' know none tew much 'bout this here business.

Ef yeou don't, I'll leave every cent on't tew Siah, though he ain't done as waal by me as yeou hev.

Thunder, stranger, that's jest what everybody'd pay money tew find out.

An' the lawyer at fust he didn't 'pear tew think very much of it; but Blossy, she got him ter call up some broker feller in 'York, an' 'Gee whizz!'

He'd said it every spring fer a number er years, and I didn't mind it no more'n the breakin' up er the river; not so much, jest then; fer the gret spring drive was comin' on, and my hands was tew full to quit work all tew oncet.

" "Yew 'spect me tew go an' prink up fer a sudden death?" thundered Abraham.

Don't stay tew long an' don't rile him up, fer he's dretful excited, Abe is.

"Never threw no vittles 'n my basket with sech a splendid taste tew 'em es these hev.

Can't afford tew.

Waal, seem' haow 'twas, I tried tew please him, late as it was; but ef there was ennything I did spleen

'Riz me, Hiram,' sez she; an' when I'd got her easy, she put her old arms raound my neck, an' tried to say, 'God bless you, dear,' but died a doin' of it; an' I ain't ashamed tew say I boohooed real hearty, when I laid her daown, fer she was dreadf'l good tew me, an' I don't forgit her in a hurry.