d a powerful influence in political and religious circles, and
wants to honor me and on my account and to please me, and for various
diplomatic reasons he is willin' to receive my pardner."

But it wuzn't so, no such thing; it wuz on Robert's account; Robert
had been invited there for lunch when he wuz there before, for Miss
Meechim had told me on't over and over. When the evening of the
reception come, Miss Meechim wuz in high feather every way. She wore
one in her hair that stood up higher than old Hail The Day's tail
feathers, and then her sperits wuz all feathered out, too.

Dorothy looked sweet as a rose just blowed out. She had on a gown of
pale-green satin and shiffon, which looked some the color of fresh,
delicate leaves, and her sweet face riz up from it and bloomed out
like a flower. It wuz a little low in the neck, which wuz white as
snow, and so wuz her round arms. A necklace of big pearls wuz round
her neck, not much whiter than the warm, soft flesh they rested on,
and she carried a big bunch of white orchids. She looked good enough
to frame in gold and hang up in anybody's best parlor, and Robert
Strong felt just as I did I knew by his liniment. On such a occasion,
I felt my best black silk none too good, and at Dorothy's request I
turned down the neck a little in front, mebby a half a finger or so,
and wore a piece of lace she gin me over it that come down to my belt.
It looked like a cob-web that had ketched in its transparent meshes
some voylets and snowdrops. And at her request I did not wear the
cameo pin, but a little bunch of posies she fixed for me, fine white
posies with a few pale lavender ones. I spoze Dorothy, though she
didn't tell me so, for fear it would make me oneasy and nervious, but
I spoze she wuz afraid that some bold thief might rob me of that
valuable jewel; she knowed that cameo pin fell onto me from Mother
Smith and fell onto her from her ma. This rim of memory sot it round
and rendered it valuable aside from its intrinsic worth, which wuz
great. Why, I hearn that Grandmother Smith paid as high as seven
dollars for it, gin five bushels of dried apples and the rest in
money. Tommy stayed to home with Martha.

The guests wuz ushered into a spacious and magnificent room.
Innumerable lights flashed from its lofty ceilings and music and
flowers brightened the seen. The rich costooms of the ladies and the
gorgeous uniforms of the men, representatives of the different
countries, richly