d of us fur. Now in some of their
meetin'-houses I am told they don't have much of anything but a
lookin'-glass a-hangin', to show the duty and neccessity of lookin' at
your own sins.

To set for a hour and a half and examine your own self and meditate on
your own shortcomin's.

How useful and improvin' that would be if used--as it ort to be--in
Jonesville or Chicago!

But still the world would call it queer.

I leaned up hard on that thought, and wuz carried safe through all the
queer sights I see there.

I see quite a number of the Japans there, pretty, small-bonded folks,
with faces kinder yellowish brown, dark eyes sot considerable fur back
in their heads, their noses not Romans by any means--quite the
reverse--and their hair glossy and dark, little hands and feet. Some on
'em wuz dressed like Jonesvillians, but others had their queer-shaped
clothin', and dretful ornamental. Josiah wuz bound to have a sack
embroidered like one of theirn, and some wooden shoes, and caps with
tossels--he thought they wuz dressy--and he wanted some big sleeves that
he could use as a pocket; and then sez he--

"To have shoes that have a separate place for the big toe, what a boon
for that dum old corn on that toe of mine that would be!"

But I frowned on the idee; but sez he--

"If you mind the expense, I could take one of your old short night-gowns
and color it black, and set some embroidery onto it. I could cut some
figgers out of creton--it wouldn't be much work. Why," sez he, "I could
pin 'em on--no, dum it all," sez he, "I couldn't set down in it, but I
could glue 'em on."

But I sez, "If you want to foller the Japans I could tell you a custom
of theirn, and I would give ten cents willin'ly to see you foller it."

"What is that?" sez he, ready, as I could see, to ornament himself, or
shave his hair, or dress up his big toe, or anything.

But I sez, "It is their politeness, Josiah Allen."

"I'd be a dum fool if I wuz in your place," sez he. "What do I want to
foller 'em for? I am polite, and always wuz."

I looked coldly at him, and sez I--

"Japans wouldn't call their wives a dum fool no quicker than they would
take their heads off."

Sez he, conscience-struck, "I didn't call you one. I said _I_ would be
one if I wuz in your place--I wuz a-demeanin' myself, Samantha."

Sez I, not mindin' his persiflage, "The Japans are the politest nation
on the earth; they say cheatin' and lyin' hain't polite, and so they
don'