is more than I can tell." And I
groaned a deep holler groan.

"Why, I haven't told you half," sez she. "All of my sisters but one
had trouble with their husbands. Robert's step-ma wuz the only one who
had a good husband, but he died before they'd been married a year, and
she follered him in six months, leaving twins, who died also, and I
took Robert, to whom I had got attached, to the boarding-house, and
took care on him until he wuz sent away to school and college. His pa
left plenty of money," sez she, "and a big fortune when he came of
age, which he has spent in the foolish way I have told you of, or a
great part of it."

Well, at this juncture we wuz interrupted, and didn't resoom the
conversation until some days afterwards, though I wuz dretful
interested in the big manufactory of Robert Strong's, that big
co-working scheme. (I had hearn Thomas J. commend it warmly.)

At last the day come for me to start. I waked up feelin' a strange
weight on my heart. I had dremp Philury had sot the soap stun on my
chest. But no soap stun wuz ever so hard and heavy as my grief. Josiah
and I wuz to be parted! Could it be so? Could I live through it? He
wuz out in the wood-house kitchen pretendin' to file a saw. File a saw
before breakfast! He took that gratin' job to hide his groans; he wuz
weepin'; his red eyes betrayed him. Philury got a good breakfast which
we couldn't eat. My trunk wuz packed and in the democrat. The
neighborin' wimmen brung me warm good-byes and bokays offen their
house plants, and sister Sypher sent me some woosted flowers, which I
left to home, and some caraway seed to nibble on my tower which I
took.

She that wuz Arvilly Lanfeare brought me a bottle of bam made out of
the bark of the bam of Gilead tree, to use in case I should get
bruised or smashed on the train, and also two pig's bladders blowed
up, which she wanted me to wear constant on the water to help me
float. She had painted on one of 'em the Jonesville meetin'-house,
thinkin', I spoze, the steeple might bring lofty thoughts to me in
hurrycains or cyclones. And on the other one she had painted in big
letters the title of the book she is agent for--"The Twin Crimes of
America: Intemperance and Greed!" I thought it wuz real cunning in
Arvilly to combine so beautifully kindness and business. There is so
much in advertising. They looked real well, but I didn't see how I wuz
goin' to wear 'em over my bask waist. Arvilly said she wanted to go
wit