fight agin all they can.

-----

[A] The great hotel which Samantha here describes was destroyed
by fire in August last.

CHAPTER FOUR

WE ENJOY THE HOSPITALITIES OF WHITFIELD'S AUNT'S BOARDIN'-HOUSE AT THE
PARK, AND MY PARDNER GOES A-FISHIN'

CHAPTER FOUR

WE ENJOY THE HOSPITALITIES OF WHITFIELD'S AUNT'S BOARDIN'-HOUSE AT
THE PARK, AND MY PARDNER GOES A-FISHIN'

Whitfield's aunt kep' a small boardin'-house at the Park. Of course we
knew it would be fur more genteel to go to the hotel, which loomed up
stately, settin' back on its green lawn right in front of us, as the
ship swep' into the harbor.

But Josiah sez, "The tender ties of relationship hadn't ort to, in
fact _musn't_ be broke by us, and Miss Dagget would probable feel
dretful hurt if she knowed we wuz to the Park and had passed her
coldly by." (She didn't ask half so much for our boards as the hotel
did; that wuz where the boot pinched on my pardner's old feet.)

Whitfield said we had better go to Aunt Dagget's that night anyway, so
we went. We found she lived in a good-lookin' cottage, and we had
everything we needed for comfort. She wuz a tall, scrawny woman, with
good principles and a black alpacky dress, too tight acrost the
chest, but she seemed glad to see us and got a good supper, broiled
steak, creamed potatoes, and cake, and such, and we all did justice to
it--yes indeed.

After supper we walked out to the post office, and round in front of
the houses--very sociable and nigh together they are. It must be
dretful easy to neighbor there, most too easy. Why, I don't see how a
woman can talk to her husband on duty, if he goes in his stockin'
feet, or stays out late nights, or acts; I don't see how she can do
the subject justice and not have everybody in the encampment know it.
Too neighborly by fur!

But off some little distance, good-lookin' houses stood with Seclusion
and Solitude guardin' their front doors--likely guards them be, and
beloved by Samantha. And back of the Island, glancin' through the
trees, wuz the same clear blue sparklin' waters of the St. Lawrence.
They said they wuz Canada waters, but I didn't see no difference, the
water wuz jest as blue and sparklin' and clear.

We retired early and our beds wuz quite comfortable, though as I told
Josiah, I had seen bigger pillers, and I wuz more settled in my mind,
as to whether the feathers in 'em wuz geese or hen.

He said he wuz glad to lay his head down o