t that she kinder lifted her arm some as I had seen my
dear pardner lift his up when he wuz a-fixin' a stove pipe overhead;
and that long span uniting New York and Brooklyn only brought to me
thoughts of the length and strength of that apron-string to which I
clung and must cling even though death ensued.

Well, after a long time of sight-seeing we returned to our hotel,
and, after dinner, which they called luncheon, I laid down a spell
with Tommy, for I felt indeed tuckered out with my emotions outside
and inside. Tommy dropped off to sleep to once like a lamb, and I
bein' beat out, lost myself, too, and evening wuz almost lettin' down
her mantilly spangled with stars, when I woke, Tommy still sleepin'
peacefully, every minute bringin' health and strength to him I knew.

Miss Meechim and Dorothy had been to some of the big department stores
where you can buy everything under one ruff from a elephant to a
toothpick, and have a picture gallery and concert throwed in. They had
got a big trunk full of things to wear. I wondered what they wanted of
'em when they wuz goin' off on another long journey so soon; but
considered that it wuzn't my funeral or my tradin' so said nothin'.

Anon we went down and had a good supper, which they called dinner,
after which they went to the opera. Aronette tended to packin' their
clothes, and offered to help me pack. But as I told her I hadn't
onpacked nothin' but my nightgown and sheepshead night-cap I could git
along with it, specially as sheepshead night-caps packed easier than
full crowned ones.

So I took Tommy out for a little walk on the broad beautiful
sidewalks, and it diverted him to see the crowds of handsomely dressed
men and women all seemin' to hurry to git to some place right off, and
the children who didn't seem to be in any hurry, and in seein' the big
carriages roll by, some drawed by prancin' horses, and some by nothin'
at all, so fur as we could see, which rousted up Tommy's wonder, and
it all diverted him a little and mebby it did me too, and then we
retired to our room and had a middlin' good night's rest, though
hanted by Jonesville dreams, and the next morning we left for
Chicago.

Dorothy had never seen Niagara Falls or Saratoga, so we went a few
milds out of our way that she might see Saratoga's monster hotels,
the biggest in the world; and take a drink of the healin' waters of
the springs that gushes up so different right by the side of each
other, showin' w