he rooms of this castle the lace
wuz exhibited--beautiful laces as I ever see, or want to see, and piles
and piles of it, and of every beautiful pattern.

I did hanker for some of it to trim a night-cap. As I told Josiah, "I
wouldn't give a cent for any of the white lace dresses, not if I had to
wear 'em, or white lace cloaks." Sez I, "I'd feel like a fool a-goin' to
meetin' or to the store to carry off butter with a white lace dress on,
or a white lace mantilly, but I would love dearly to own some of that
narrer lace for a night-cap border."

But his anxiety wuz extreme to go on that very instant.

He wanted to see the Blarney stun on top of the tower of the castle. It
is a stun about as big as Josiah's hat, let down below the floor, so's
you have to stoop way down to even see it, let alone kissin' it.

Josiah wuz very anxious to kiss it, but I frowned on the needless
expense.

Sez I, "Men don't _need_ to kiss it; Blarney is born in 'em, as you may
say, and is nateral nater to 'em."

Sez he, "But it is so stylish to embrace it, Samantha, and it only costs
ten cents."

[Illustration: "But it is so stylish, Samantha, and it only costs
ten cents."]

"But," I sez firmly, "you hain't a-goin' to kiss no chunk of Chicago
stun, Josiah Allen, or pay out your money for demeanin' yourself."

Sez I, "The original Blarney stun is right there in its place in the
tower of Blarney Castle in Ireland. It hain't been touched, and couldn't
be."

"I don't believe that Lady Aberdeen would allow no sech works to go on,"
sez he.

Sez I, "Lady Aberdeen can't help herself. How can a minister keep the
hull of his congregation from lyin'?"

Sez I, "She is one of the nicest wimmen in the world--one of the few
noble ones that reach down from high places, and lift up the lowly, and
help the world. I don't spoze she knows about the Blarney stun. And
don't you go to tellin' her," sez I severely, "and hurt her feelin's."

Sez he, in a morbid tone, "We hain't been in the habit of visitin' back
and forth, and probable if we wuz, you'd tell her before I could if you
got a chance. Wimmen have sech long tongues."

He wuz mad, as I could see, about my breakin' up his fashionable
performance with that Chicago rock, but I didn't care.

I merely sez, "If you want to do anything to remember the place, you can
buy me a yard and a half of linen lace to trim that night-cap, or a
under-clothe, Josiah." But he acted agitated here, and sez he, "I
p