h _was_ humly,
poor in flesh, dreadful freckled, hed red hair, black eyes, an' a gret
mold side of her nose. But I'd got wonted tew her; she knowed my ways,
was a fust rate housekeeper, real good-tempered, and pious without
flingin' on't in yer face. She was a lonely creeter,--her folks bein'
all dead but one sister, who didn't use her waal, an' somehow I kinder
yearned over her, as they say in Scripter. For all I set an' gawped, I
was coming raound fast, though I felt as I used tew, when I was goin'
to shoot the rapids, kinder breathless an' oncertin, whether I'd come
aout right side up or not. Queer, warn't it?"

"Love, Flint; that was a sure symptom of it."

"Waal, guess 'twas; anyway I jumped up all of a sudden, ketched Bewlah
raound the neck, give her a hearty kiss, and sung aout, 'I'll dew it
sure's my name's Hi Flint!' The words was scarcely out of my maouth,
'fore daown come Dr. Parr. He' d ben up tew see aunt, an' said she
wouldn't last the night threw, prob'ly. That give me a scare er the
wust kind; an' when I told doctor haow things was, he sez, kinder
jokin',--

"'Better git merried right away, then. Parson Dill is tew come an' see
the old lady, an' he'll dew both jobs tew oncet.'

"'Will yeou, Bewlah?' sez I.

"'Yes, Hiram, to 'blige yeou,' sez she.

"With that, I put it fer the license; got it, an' was back in less 'n
half an haour, most tuckered aout with the flurry of the hull concern.
Quick as I'd been, Bewlah hed faound time tew whip on her best gaoun,
fix up her hair, and put a couple er white chrissanthymums intew
her hand'chif pin. Fer the fust time in her life, she looked
harnsome,--leastways _I_ thought so,--with a pretty color in her
cheeks, somethin' brighter'n a larf shinin' in her eyes, and her lips
smilin' an' tremblin', as she come to me an' whispered so's't none er
the rest could hear,--

"'Hiram, don't yeou dew it, ef yeou'd ruther not. I've stood it a gret
while alone, an' I guess I can ag'in.'

"Never yeou mind what I said or done abaout that; but we was merried
ten minutes arfter, 'fore the kitchen fire, with Dr. Parr an' aour
hired man, fer witnesses; an' then we all went up tew aunt. She was
goan fast, but she understood what I told her, hed strength tew fill
up the hole in the will, an' to say, a-kissin' Bewlah, 'Yeou'll be a
good wife, an' naow yeou ain't a poor one.'

"I couldn't help givin' a peek tew the will, and there I see not Hiram
Flint nor Josiah Flint, but Bewl