and a-lookin' ten years older than when we last seen him in
Jonesville. And my pardner pert, and upright, and fat, under my
management.

Wall, we four stayed together the rest of the day, a-lookin' at one
thing and another.

And when we got home that night, lo and behold! Isabelle had come jest
before we did.

And supper wuz all ready--or dinner, as they all called it; but I don't
know as it makes much difference when you are hungry. The vittles taste
jest about the same--awful good, anyway.

We wuz pretty late, so there wuzn't anybody to the table but jest
Isabelle and Josiah and me.

And we three had a dretful good visit with each other. She is jest as
sweet as a rosey in June.

I make no matches, nor break none. But I couldn't help tellin' Josiah
Allen in confidence from time to time that it did seem to me that
Isabelle and Mr. Freeman wuz cut out for each other.

Every time I see Isabelle--and Krit and Thomas J. had often made some
app'intment where our family party could all meet--and every time I see
her, I liked her better and better.

And Maggie, who of course had seen more of her than I had, bein' in the
same house with her, she told me in confidence, and in the Mexican
Exhibit, that "Isabelle was an angel."

No, I make no matches, nor break none.

But I happened to speak sort of axidently as it were to Mr. Freeman one
day, and told him my niece wuz a-comin' to spend a week with me, jest as
quick as Miss Planks step-sister's daughter's cousin got away. (Miss
Plank, like the rest of Chicago freeholders, had relations back to the
3d and 4th generation come onto 'em like flocks of ravenin'
grasshoppers or locusses, durin' the Fair.)

And I sez--though I am the one that hadn't ort to say it, mebby--"She is
one of the sweetest girls on earth."

Sez I, "I call her a girl, though I spoze I ort to call her a woman, for
she is one in years. But because she hain't never been married," sez I
presently, "hain't, no reason that she couldn't be, for she has had
offers, and offers, and might be married any day now.

"But," sez I, "she kep single from duty once, and now it seems to be
from choice."

He sort of smiled with his eyes. He wuz used to such talk, I spoze. Good
land! the wimmen all made perfect fools of themselves about him.

But he sez in his pleasant way, "I shall be very glad to meet your
niece. I shall be sure to like her, if she is any like her aunt."

Pretty admirin' talk, that wuz. But go