en composed of materials more indestructible than iron or gutty
perchy, it would have been broke to pieces long before, so many times
and so fur had it fell).

But Mr. Freeman one day showed us a picture of his mother in a little
velvet case. And, sez he to me--

"You look like her; I saw it the first time I met you."

And I do declare the picture did look like me, only mebby--_mebby_ I
say, she wuzn't quite so good-lookin'.

Yes, I did look like his mother. And then I see the secret of his
interest in, and his kindness to me and mine.

And Mr. Freeman wuz raised up in my mind as many as 2 notches, and I
don't know but 3 or 4. To think that he loved his mother's memory so
well as to be so kind for her sake, for the sake of a fleetin' likeness,
to be so good to another female.

But Josiah Allen looked meachin'. I gin him a dretful meanin' look. I
didn't say nothin', only jest that look, but it spoke volumes and
volumes, and my pardner silently devoured the volumes, and, as I say,
looked meachin' for pretty near a quarter of a hour.

And that is a long time for a man to look smut, and conscience-struck.
It hain't in 'em to be mortified for any length of time, as is well
known by female pardners.

But we kep on a-goin'. And every single time I went into that beautiful
room, whether it wuz broad daylight or lit up by gas, every single time
the face of that tall slender girl, a-standin' there so calm by the
crystal brook, would look so natural to me, and so sort o' familiar,
that I almost ketched myself sayin'--

"Good-evenin', my dear," to it, which would have been perfectly
ridiculous in me, and the very next thing to worshippin' a graven image.

And what made it more mysterious to me, and more like a circus (a
solemn, high-toned circus), wuz, to ketch ever and anon, and I guess
oftener than that, Mr. Freeman's eyes bent on that pretty young face
with a look as if he too recognized her, and wanted to talk to her. And
some, too, he looked as if she wuz dead and buried, and he wuz
a-mournin' deep for her, _very_ deep.

As curious a look as I ever see; and if I hain't seen curious looks in
my time, then I will say nobody has. Yes, indeed! I have seen curious
looks in my journey through life, curious as a dog, and curiouser.

But there she stood, no matter what looks wuz cast on her from friend or
foe--and I guess it would sound better to say from friend or lover, for
nobody could be a foe to that radiant-faced,