ver went the sugar onto the stove, and Aunt
Tryphenia and Uncle Ezra jest jumped right up and went and lifted the
kettle offen the stove.

I remember well how kinder bewildered and curious mother looked when she
opened her eyes and see that the prayer wuz broke right short off. Aunt
Tryphenia looked meachin', and Uncle Ezra put his hat right on and went
out to the barn.

It wuz dretful embarrissin' to him and Aunt Tryphenia. But then I don't
know as they could have helped it.

I remember hearin' Father and Mother arguin' about it. Father thought
she done right, but Mother wuz kinder of the opinion that she ort to
have run the prayer right on and let the sugar spile if necessary.

But I remember Father's arguin' that he didn't believe her prayer would
have been very lucid or fervent, with all that batch of sugar a-sizzlin'
and a-burnin' right by the side of her.

I remember that he said that a prayer wouldn't be apt to ascend much
higher than where one's hopes and thoughts wuz, and he didn't believe it
would go up much higher than that kettle. (The stove wuz the common
height, not over four feet.)

But Mother held to her own opinion, and so did a good many of the
relations, mostly females. It wuz talked over quite a good deal amongst
the Smiths. The wimmen all blamed Tryphenia more or less. The men mostly
approved of savin' the sugar.

But good land! how I am eppisodin', and to resoom and go on.

As I say, it wuz jest after this that Uncle Ezra's folks moved up to
Maine, Christopher Columbus bein' still onborn for years and years.

But bein' born in due time, or ruther as I may say out of due time, for
Uncle Ezra and Aunt Tryphenia had been married over twenty years before
they had a child, and then they branched out and had two, and then
stopped--

But bein' born at last and growin' up to be a good-lookin' young man and
well-to-do in the world, he come out to Jonesville on business and also
to foller up the ties of relationship that wuz stretched out acrost hill
and dale clear from Maine to Jonesville.

Strange ties, hain't they? that are so little that they are invisible to
the naked eye, or spectacles, or the keenest microscope, and yet are so
strong and lastin' that the strongest sledge-hammer can't break 'em or
even make a dent into 'em.

And old Time himself, that crumbles stun work and mountains, can't seem
to make any impression on 'em. Curious, hain't it?

But to leave moralizin' and to resoom, i