on
them pastures and by them waters thousands of sleek nags and cattle
a-feeding and drinking, peaceful and satisfied; thar, bowered back
amongst lofty trees, was the beautiful many mansions and homes of
the blest; thar was the big road, smooth and white as glass, down
which pretty boys and gals too fair for this world, come on prancing
nags; thar, best of all, hovering and brooding tender over
everything, was the warm, blue sky and the golden sunlight. Them
alone would have been enough for me. Yes, it were indeed a heavenly
vision. I set, scarcely knowing if I were in or out of the body.
'Am I translated,' I axed the doctor, 'and is this here the New
Jerusalem, and them pretty creeturs the angels of heaven?' 'Far
from it, Aunt Dally,' he says, sighing. 'Them air the fortunate
Blue-Grass folk, that be so used to blessings they don't even know
they got 'em, let alone makin' a' effort to share 'em with the
needy. If they was as onselfish within as they air fair and
prosperous without, we would n't need no millennium.'

"I can't say I had any rale, realizing sense of sight that day. It
were all too wonderful and visionary. And them weeks that follered
at the doctor's house, too, they seem like a love-lie dream--the
delicate victuals that fairly melted down my throat before these
here fine store teeth could clutch 'em, the kindness of him and his
woman, and of his little gal, that teached me my a-b-c's. For she
said, 'With your head-piece, Aunt Dally, it hain't too late for you
to die a scholar yet; you got to git l'arning.' And, women, I got
it. I knowed all my letters and were quite a piece in the primer
before I left, and Evy here she aims to finish my education and have
me reading Scriptur' come summer. Yes, it all seemed too good and
fair to be true, and I lived in a daze. I come to myself
sufficient', though, to have the little gal write John to hire a
wagon and bring Marthy and all the young uns to the railroad for to
meet me, and see the world and the cyars; and also, realizing I were
going to git back my faculty and workingness, and not being able to
make the doctor take ary cent for his doings,--he said it were the
least the Blue Grass could do for the mountains,--I tuck what money
I had left and bought me some fine store clothes for to match my
teeth and my innard feelings. 'Peared like I could n't noway feel
at home in them sorry gyarments I had wore in sorry days.

"But it were not till I sot i