usual is goin' on here
right now. It is as quiet as the day after camp-meetin'. Dick's
funeral was preached yesterday. The weather was tiptop, and nothin'
was lackin' to make it a plumb success. Hettie got us out of bed
before a single streak of day had appeared. We put on our clothes
by pine-knots. The preacher she sent away off for, because she was
bound to git some'n extra, was installed at the hotel. He is a
wheel-hoss; he dressed as fine as a fiddle, with a plug-hat and
dashboard shoes, and had a long jimswinger coat that come to his
knees. The paper said he was the silver-tongued orator of the
entire Cherokee pulpit, and printed his picture, and said he'd been
paid a handsome figure by one of our wealthiest citizens to take
part in the memorable occasion. I cut the artickle out to send to
you, but forgot an' lit my pipe with it. I'll try to git another,
but they are hard to find, as all hands seem to be keepin' 'em for
future generations to look at. I seed ten men all readin' one at
the same time in a gang at the sawmill t'other day. They seemed to
consider it funny, but I didn't. I don't see how a thing as solemn
as that affair was could be funny.

"We et our breakfast by candle-light, and then set around and had
nothin' to do till startin'-time. We went in the two-seated
spring-wagon. I was the only one in our layout not draped from head
to foot in black. I couldn't see the women's faces, and as they
didn't say a word I couldn't estimate the extend of their grief. I
reckon you can guess, anyway. You know 'em. You never saw sech a
stream o' folks in all yore born days. You'd 'a' thought it was a
public hangin', and every livin' soul had to take a special peep at
us as we driv along. As well as I could make out through her veil,
Hettie seemed to like bein' so conspicuous, for she axed me to
drive slow an' go through the main street, which ain't the nighest
way to the church. When we got thar the house was packed as tight
as dry apples in a cider-press. But the front bench was all our'n.
Nobody dared take it, although more'n half of it was empty, an'
folks was settin' in the windows. I had trouble with Hettie, for
she made me throw my chaw o' tobacco away, and I found I was
settin' right over a wide crack in the floor, too. I wouldn't 'a'