you agin I wuzn't a-goin' to use it only in the most hurryin'
times--I----"

But I sez, "I will hear no more; give it back to the man and come with
your pardner!"

And I linked my arm in hisen and motioned to the man to move off with
his wheels. And my looks wuz that dignified and lofty that I spoze it
skairt him and he started off almost immegiately and to once.

And I hain't hern no more about it, but don't know how much more
trouble I may have with it. No knowin' what that man may take it into
his head to do in Jonesville or China. But prayer-wheels! little did I
think when I stood at the altar with Josiah Allen that I should have
to dicker with them.

It only took six hours to sail from Hongkong up to Canton. The scenery
along the Pearl River is not very interesting except the rice fields,
banana groves with pagodas risin' amongst 'em anon or oftener, and
the strange tropical foliage, cactuses that we raise in little jars
riz up here like trees.

The native villages along the ruther flat shore looked kinder
dilapidated and run down, but yet they looked so different from
Jonesville houses that they wuz interestin' in a way. The forts that
we passed occasionally looked as if they would stand quite a strain.
But the queerest sight wuz the floatin' houses that we had to sail
through to land. Two hundred thousand folks live on them boats, are
born on 'em, grow up, marry, raise a family and die, all right there
on the water, just as other folks live on the land.

If a young man courts a girl he takes her and her setting out, which
is mebby a extra night gown, or I don't know what they do call
'em--their dresses look like night gowns. Well, she will take that and
a rice kettle and go into his junk and mebby never leave it through
her life only to visit her friends. The children swarmed on them boats
like ants on a ant-hill, and they say that if they git too thick they
kinder let 'em fall overboard, not push 'em off, but kinder let 'em go
accidental like, specially girls, they kinder encourage girls fallin'
off. And the Chinese think that it is wrong to save life. If any one
is drownin', for instance, they think that it is the will of the
higher Power and let 'em go. But they look down on girls dretfully. If
you ask a Chinaman how many children he has got he will say "Two
children and two piecee girl." Jest as if boys was only worthy to be
called children, and girls a piece of a child. Miss Meechim wuz
indignant whe