on every
side, liable to be revealed to us when the time comes."

And then he wuz all rousted up about a hole down in our paster. Sez he,
"Who knows what it would lead to if it wuz opened up?" Sez he, "I'll put
twenty men to diggin' there the minute I git home."

Sez I, "Josiah, that is a woodchuck hole--the woodchuck wuz took in it;
you have got to be megum in caves as much as anything. Be calm," sez I,
for he wuz a-breathin' hard and wuz fearful excited, and I led him out
as quick as I could.

But he wuz a-sleepin' now peaceful, forgittin' his enthusiasm, while I,
who took it calm at the time, kep awake to muse on the glory of the
spectacle.

After we left the Horticultural Buildin' I proposed that we should
branch out for once and git a fashionable dinner.

"Dinner!" sez Josiah. "Are you crazy, or what does ail you? Talk about
gittin' dinner at this time of day--most bedtime!"

But I explained it out to him that fashion called for dinner at the hour
that we usually partook of our evenin' meal at Jonesville.

Sez I, "Josiah, I would love for jest once to go to a big fashionable
restaurant and mingle with the fashionable throng--jest for instruction
and education, Josiah, not that I want to foller it up."

But sez he, "We'd better go to the same old place where we've got good,
clean dinners and supperses, and enough on 'em, and at a livin' price."

But he argued warm at the foolishness of the enterprise.

But onlucky creeter that I wuz, I argued that, bein' a woman in search
of instruction and wisdom, I wanted to see life on as many sides as I
could; while I was at Columbuses doin's I wanted to look round and see
all I could in a social and educational way.

Poor deceived human creeters, how they will blind their own eyes when
they pursue their own desires!

I do spoze it wuz vanity and pride that wuz at the bottom of it.

And truly, if I desired to see life on a new side I wuz about to have my
wish; and if I had a haughty sperit when I entered that hall of fashion,
it wuz with droopin' feathers and lowered crest that I went out on't.

Josiah wuz mad when he finally gin up and accompanied and went in with
me.

It wuz a beautifully decorated room, and crowds of splendidly dressed
men and wimmen wuz a-settin' round at little tables all over the room.

And as we went in, a tall, elegant-lookin' man, who I spozed for a long
time wuz a minister, and I wondered enough what brung him there, and why
he shou