d, "I suppose
your husband don't know you keep this." Grandma says: "There's certain
medicines I believe in--for people that need 'em. And now you feel well
enough to go on your way, and I wish you good luck."

So the peddler went off down the road.

And pretty soon grandma came up-stairs and said: "Your grandpa is awful
vexed. He'd most pull your hair. And you'd better stay here, and I'll
bring some supper to you after a bit, and we'll let this quiet down."

"Well, this is Thursday," says I, "and I'm goin' Saturday anyway. And
suppose I go to-night--I can walk in." Grandma says: "Your popie is
comin' in the morning on the way to Havaner, and you stay and see him.
And if he says you can go, why all right. Or maybe he'll take you to
Havaner with him." A thought went through my head! Why not go to Havaner
and get the lay of the land, see the steamboats and get ready to go to
Hannibal. So grandma brought me my supper, and I went to bed dreamin' of
the steamboats.

CHAPTER XIV

While I was at my grandpa's this time, my Aunt Melissa and Uncle Lemuel
came to visit on their way to Ohio. They lived in Iowa sommers and he
was a preacher and awful smart. He had been married before and his wife
died, and then he married my aunt. My pa said a preacher would never do
without a wife, especially if he was a Methodist. Besides being lonely,
my pa said Uncle Lemuel thought Aunt Melissa would inherit, and of
course the time comes when a preacher can't preach and must either go to
a preacher's home and be supported or else have help from his wife,
because they can't lay up much.

Well, Uncle Lemuel was awful smart. He didn't know Greek or Latin, but
he had read the translations and he knew the Bible from A to Z and he
could sing in a deep voice, and when he preached he made you scared and
ashamed. They petted me a lot--both Aunt Melissa and Uncle Lemuel. They
held me on their laps and stroked my head, and asked me about Sunday
School and whether I really loved Jesus or only just said so.

There was always a lot goin' on when they visited and I sat and watched.
In the first place, when they would come they had a lot of bags, carpet
bags and boxes, and you had to be awful particular of 'em, and the hired
man had to carry 'em to the house and Aunt Melissa would say be
careful, and if he dropped anything, there was an awful scare about it.
This time they got here just before dinner; and grandma had a big dinner
for 'em--lots o