me ache to think on't, the numbers and amounts of the
work that pressed onto me, and nobody but that young girl to help me.
And she that took up with her bo, Almanzo Hagidone, that she wuz in a
forgitful state more'n half the time, and liable to carry a armful of
wood meant for the kitchen stove into the parlor, and put it end first
onto the what-not, or pump water into Josiah's hat instead of the
water-pail.

I tried to instil some common sense into her head, but her hair wuz
bound up that tight with curl papers that nothin' could git past that
ambuscade, so it would seem, but jest the image and the idee of Almanzo
Hagidone.

Wall, I kep her pretty much in the wood-shed, when she wuz in her worst
stages, where there wuzn't much besides the old cook-stove and wash-tubs
that she could graze aginst and fall over.

I dast as well die as to trust her with vittles, for I felt that them
wuz vital pints, and must not be meddled with by loonaticks or idiots,
and with them two ranks I had to stand Mary Ann Spink in her most
love-sick spazzums.

So I sot her to rubbin' onto Josiah's shirts, and I took my bowl of
raisins and English currants and things into the kitchen and sot down
calmly to pickin' 'em over and choppin' 'em.

My fruit cake is good, though I say it that ort not to; it is widely
known and admired.

Wall, I sot there middlin' calm, and a-hummin' over a sam tune loud
enough so's Mary Ann could hear it; and I hummed it, too, in a strictly
moral way, and for a pattern; it was this:

"Put not your trust in mortal man,
Set not your hopes on him," etc., etc., etc.

[Illustration]

And I see I wuz impressin' of her, for I could hear after a while from
the wood-shed that she too had broke forth in song, and she was a-jinin'
in, low and dretful impressive, with--

"Hark from the tombs a mournful sound."

I don't think she meant my singin'--Josiah did when we talked it over
afterwards.

He believed it firm.

I believe I wuz a-moralizin' of her, and should have done good if I
hadn't been broke in on.

But all of a sudden Josiah Allen fairly bust into the house, all wrought
up, and fearful excited.

He had been a-talkin' with Deacon Henzy out by the gate, and I spoze
Deacon Henzy had disseminated some new news to him. But anyway he wuz
crazy with a wild and startlin' idee.

[Illustration: A-talkin' with Deacon Henzy.]

He wanted to set off to once to the Equinomical Counsel, which he said
wuz a-goin' t