't to
blame, we didn't do a thing to bring on the trouble. Of course we
remembered the _Maine_ some, we had to, and your folks couldn't blame
us for it. Josiah and me felt real provoked and mortified to think
that after folks had gin their jewelry to discover us they should blow
us up in that way. But I sez to Josiah, 'Because three hundred are
sent onprepared into eternity it hain't no reason three thousand
should be.' We are great cases for peace, Josiah and I be, and would
have managed most any way, even been run on some and imposed upon a
little ruther than to have rushed into the onspeakable horrors of
war.

"And I don't want you to blame William, either; he held onto the dogs
of war with both hands a tryin' to hold 'em in."

"William?" sez she inquirin'ly.

"Yes, William McKinley, our President. He jest held onto them dogs
till they wuz likely to tear him to pieces, then he had to leggo. Them
dogs wuz jest inflamed by havin' yellow literatoor shook in their
faces, and yells from greedy politicians and time servers, till they
wuz howlin' mad and would have barked themselves blind if he hadn't
leggo. But he didn't want to, William didn't, he wanted peace
dreadfully." And she said real sweet, that she knew he did.

"Well, it turned out jest as it did, Ulaly. But I think just as much
of you as I did before you lost your propputy, and I d'no as the
propputy Uncle Sam got hold of in the dicker is a goin' to do him much
good, not for quite a spell anyway. There is such a thing as bein'
land poor, taxes are heavy, hired help hain't to be relied on and the
more you have the more you have to watch and take care on, though of
course it is a pleasure to a certain set of faculties and some
particular bumps in your head, to own a path as you may say, most
round the world, steppin' off from California to Hawaii and then on to
the Philippines, ready to step off from there, Heaven knows how fur or
when or where. It is a pleasure to a certain part of your mind, but
other parts of your head and heart hold back and don't cheer in the
procession. But howsumever, Ulaly, that is neither here nor there. I
hope your folks are so as to git round. I wuz sorry enough to hear
that you and your pardner don't live agreeable. But though it is a
pity, pardners have had spats from Eden to Chicago and I d'no but they
always will. The trouble is they take pardners as boons instead of
dispensations, and don't lean hard enough on scripter.

"Bu