he had had enough of water to last him through his life, he never
should set foot on any water deeper than the creek, and that wuzn't
over his pumps. "But I cannot see the child die before my eyes,
Josiah, and feel that I might have saved him, and yet am I to part
with the pardner of my youth and middle age? Am I to leave you,
Josiah?"

"I know not!" sez he wildly, "only I know that I don't set my foot on
any ship, or any furren shore agin. When I sung 'hum agin from a
furren shore' I meant hum agin for good and all, and here I stay."

"Oh dear me!" I sithed, "why is it that the apron strings of Duty are
so often made of black crape, but yet I must cling to 'em?"

"Well," sez Josiah, "what clingin' I do will be to hum; I don't go
dressed up agin for months, and hang round tarvens and deepos, and I
couldn't leave the farm anyway."

But his mean wuz wild and haggard; that man worships me. But dear
little Tommy wuz pinin' away; he must go, and to nobody but his
devoted grandma would they trust him, and I knew that Philury and Ury
could move right in and take care of everything, and at last I sez:
"I will try to go, Thomas J., I will try to go 'way off alone with
Tommy and leave your pa----." But here my voice choked up and I
hurried out to give vent to some tears and groans that I wouldn't
harrow Thomas J. with. But strange, strange are the workin's of
Providence! wonderful are the ways them apron strings of Duty will be
padded and embroidered, strange to the world's people, but not to
them that consider the wonderful material they are made of, and how
they float out from that vast atmosphere jest spoke on, that lays
all round us full of riches and glory and power, and beautiful
surprises for them that cling to 'em whether or no. Right at this
time, as if our sharp distress had tapped the universe and it run
comfort, two relations of Maggie's, on their way home from Paris to
San Francisco, stopped to see their relations in Jonesville on their
own sides.

Dorothy Snow, Maggie's cousin, wuz a sweet young girl, the only child
of Adonirum Snow, who left Jonesville poor as a rat, went to Californy
and died independent rich. She wuz jest out of school, had been to
Paris for a few months to take special studies in music and languages;
a relation on her ma's side, a kind of gardeen, travelin' with her.
Albina Meechim wuz a maiden lady from choice, so she said and I d'no
as I doubted it when I got acquainted with her, for s