ennies for marbles."

Sez Miss Meechim, "I guess I will take a little quinine and lay down a
spell." Arvilly tosted her head quite a little after she retired and
then she went out to canvass a clerk in the office. Arvilly is
dantless in carriage, but she is too hash. I feel bad about it.

CHAPTER XV

Arvilly and I went out for a walk, takin' Tommy with us. We thought we
would buy some sooveneers of the place. Sez Arvilly, "I want to prove
to the Jonesvillians that I've been to China, and I want to buy some
little presents for Waitstill Webb, that I can send her in a letter."

And I thought I would buy some little things for the children, mebby a
ivory croshay hook for Tirzah Ann and a paper cutter for Thomas J.,
and sunthin' else for Maggie and Whitfield. It beats all what
exquisite ivory things we did see, and in silver, gold, shell, horn
and bamboo, every article you can think on and lots you never did
think on, all wrought in the finest carvin' and filigree work.
Embroideries in silk and satin and cloth of gold and silver, every
beautiful thing that wuz ever made you'd see in these shops.

I wuz jest hesitatin' between a ivory bodkin with a butterfly head and
a ivory hook with a posy on the handle, when I hearn the voice of my
pardner, seemin'ly makin' a trade with somebody, and I turned a little
corner and there I see him stand tryin' to beat down a man from Tibet,
or so a bystander told me he wuz, a queer lookin' creeter, but he
understood a few English words, and Josiah wuz buyin' sunthin' as I
could see, but looked dretful meachin and tried to conceal his
purchase as he ketched my eye. I see he wuz doin' sunthin' he ort not
to do, meachinness and guilt wuz writ down on his liniment. But my
axent and mean wuz such that he produced the object and tried hard to
explain and apologize.

It wuz a little prayer-wheel designed for written prayers to be put in
and turned with a crank, or it could be hitched to water power or a
wind-mill or anything, and the owner could truly pray without ceasing.
Oh how I felt as he explained! I felt that indeed the last straw wuz
bein' packed onto my back, but Josiah kep' on with his apoligizin'.

"You needn't look like that, Samantha; I can tell you I hain't gin
up religion or thought on't. I want you to know that I am still a
strong, active member of the M. E. meetin' house, but at the same
time," sez he, "if I--if there--spozein' there wuz, as it were, some
modificatio