take sights of comfort in more tranquil and
less dickerin' times, in lookin' out on the beauty and glory of the
waters, and fur off, into the beautiful distance lit with the mornin's
rosy light, and "sunset and evenin' star."

We sot off on the afternoon boat for Clayton. Faith seemed real glad
to see us and we visey versey. And it wuz a joy to me to see her
admiration of the Islands as we swep' by 'em and round 'em on our way
to the Park.

We got back in time to git ready for supper in pretty good sperits;
the dinin' room wuz large and clean and pleasant, the waiters doin'
all they could for us, and we had a good supper and enough on't. And
speakin' of the waiters, most of 'em wuz nice boys and girls, tryin'
to git an education; some on 'em had been to college and wanted to
earn a little more money to finish their education, and some wuz
learnin' music and wanted more money to go on with their lessons--good
plan, I think--they will be as likely agin to succeed as if they wuz
sot down and waited on. It is a good thing, as the Bible sez, "to bear
the yoke in your youth," and though I spoze the yoke weighed down
considerable heavy on 'em, specially on excursion days, and when there
wuz folks hard to please, yet I thought they will come out all right
in the end.

Some on 'em wuz studyin' for the ministry, and I thought they would
git a real lot of patience and other Christian virtues laid up agin
the time of need. Though here, as in every other walk of life, there
wuz some that wuz careless and slack.

But to resoom forwards. I see at the table there wuz the usual summer
tourists round me, care-worn fathers and weary dyspeptic mothers with
two or three flighty, over-dressed daughters, and a bashful, pale son
or two, and anon a lady with a waist drawed in to that extent that you
wondered where her vital organs wuz. And how could any live creeter
brook the agony them long steel cossets wuz dealin' the wearer? You
could see this agony in the dull eyes, pale face and wan holler cheeks
wearin' the hectic flush of red paint. And the little pinted shues,
with heels sot in the very center of the nerves, ready to bring on
prostration, and blindness.

Right by that agonized female would be a real lady. English, mebby,
with a waist the size the Lord give and Fashion had not taken away.
With good, sensible shues on, dealin' out comfort to the amiable
feelin' feet; rosy cheeks, bright eyes, all bearin' witness to the
joys of sen