hin' is said or done. Good land!
what would I care for Josiah Allen's body if his love had been stole.
I would tell the woman to take that in welcome sence she had all the
rest. But they sail along down the River of Life, coquettin' with
weak, handsome male Antonys, who had better be to home with their own
lawful Octavias. So it goes." I always hated Cleopatra's doin's. And I
wondered as I looked dreamily at that writin' of hern, if she wuz
sorry for her actions now in that spear of hern, wherever it wuz, and
wanted to ondo it.

CHAPTER XXIV

We stayed there for some time, and on our way home a dretful thing
happened to me. After we all got started, sunthin' happened to one of
the poles of my chair, and with as much motionin' and jabberin' as a
presidential election would call for, they at last got it fixed agin.
By that time the party had all disappeared, and the bearers of my
vehicle started off at their highest speed right acrost ploughed land
and springin' crops and everything, not stoppin' for anything.

Where wuz they takin' me? Wuz I to perish in these wilds? Wuz they
carryin' me off for booty? I had on my cameo pin and I trembled. It
wuz my pride in Jonesville; wuz I to lose my life for it? Or wuz it my
good looks that wuz ondoin' of me? Did they want to make me their
brides? I sez to them in agonizin' axents, "Take me back instantly to
my pardner! He is the choice of my youth! I will never wed another!
You hain't congenial to me anyway! It is vain for you to elope with me
for I will never be your brides!"

But they jabbered and motioned and acted and paid no attention only to
rush along faster than ever.

I then tried a new tact with 'em. With tremblin' fingers I onpinned
the cameo pin, and with a noble jester that would have become Jeptha
as he gin his only daughter for a sacrifice, I handed it out to 'em.
And sez I, "If that is what you want, take it, and then bear me back
safely to my beloved pardner agin."

But they never touched it. They only jabbered away louder and more
fierce like and yanked me along faster than ever.

Oh, the agony of that time! Dear Josiah, should I never see thee agin?
and the children and the grandchildren? Hills and dells of lovely
Jonesville! Would they never dawn on my vision more! Would the old
mair never whinner joyfully at my appearance, or Snip bark a welcome?

I thought of all the unfortunate Hebrew wimmen who would have been
neighbors to me then if I had b