cold and
bitter towards the world and us, and so sort o' patronizin'.

[Illustration: He sot by me.]

He didn't believe in religion, nor nothin'. He didn't believe in
Christopher Columbus--right there to the doin's held for him, he didn't
believe in him.

"Why," sez I, "he discovered the land we live in."

He said, "He was very doubtful whether that wuz so or not--histories
made so many mistakes, he presoomed there never was such a man at all."

"Why," sez I, "he walked the streets of Genoa."

And he sez, "I never see him there."

And, of course, I couldn't dispute that.

And he added, "That anyway there wuz too much a-bein' done for him. He
wuz made too much of."

He didn't believe in wimmen, made a specialty of that, from Neny back to
Rachael and Ruth. He powed at wimmen's work, at their efforts, their
learnin', their advancement.

Neny, good little bashful thing, wuz a member of the WCTU and the
Christian Endeavor, and wanted to do jest right by them noble societies
and the world. But, oh, how light he would speak of them noble bands of
workers in the World's warfare with wrong! To how small a space he
wanted to reduce 'em down!

And I sez to him once, "You can't do very much towards belittlin' a
noble army of workers as that is--millions strong."

"Millions weak, you mean," sez he. "I dare presoom to say there hain't a
woman amongst 'em but what is afraid of a mouse, and would run from a
striped snake."

Sez I, "They don't run from the serpent Evil, that is wreathin' round
their homes and loved ones, and a-tryin' to destroy 'em--they run
towards that serpent, and hain't afraid to grapple with it, and
overthrow it--by the help of the Mighty," sez I.

Sez he, "There is too much made of their work." Sez he, "There hain't
near so much done as folks think; the most of it is talk, and a-praisin'
each other up."

"Wall," sez I, "men won't never be killed for that in their political
rivalin's, they won't be condemned for praisin' each other up."

"No," sez he, "men know too much."

And then I spoke of that silver woman--how beautiful and noble an
appearance she made, in the spear she ort to be in, a-representin'
Justice.

And Nony said, "She wuz too soft." Sez he, "It is with her as it is with
all other wimmen--men have to stand in front of her with guns to keep
her together, to keep her solid."

That kinder gaulded me, for there wuz some truth in it, for I had seen
the men and the rifles.

But I