e a ride up the mountain on it and
the rest of our party had driv out to Mentoni's Spring, about two
milds from Carlsbad.

I see a real sweet pretty girl coming along carrying her little mug
just like the rest of the folks. She wuz attended by a good-lookin'
lady, who seemed to be looking out for her, and I hearn a bystander
say:

"That's the Queen of Holland."

When I wuz told that the Queen of Holland wuz approachin' I sez, "You
don't say so! you don't say that that is Willieminy?"

"Yes," sez the bystander standin' by.

And I tell you I looked at her with all the eyes I had, and if I had
had a dozen more I should have used them all, for I liked her looks
first-rate, fair complected, blue eyes, light wavy hair, and a air of
demure innocence and wisdom that wuz good to see. She wuz pretty and
she wuz good, I could see that as plain as I could tell a buff cochin
hen from a banty. And I wuz glad enough, when havin' discovered
sunthin' she had left behind, her companion left her and went back to
the tarven and she come and sot down right by my side to wait for
her.

And as my rule is, I immegiately lived up to my privileges and told
her how highly tickled I wuz to have the chance to see her and tell
her how much store I sot by her. Sez I: "My dear, I have always wanted
to see you and tell you how much I have liked almost every move you've
made since you got to be a sovereign and before. Your crown hain't
seemed to be top heavy, drawin' your fore top and your common sense
down with it as some crowns do. You've wore it sensible and you've
carried your septer stiddy, and for a young girl like you to do them
things has seemed a great thing to me. A good many young girls would
be carried away if they wuz in a place like yours; I am most afraid
Tirzah Ann would at your age."

"Tirzah Ann?" sez she inquirin'ly.

"Yes, Josiah Allen's girl by his first wife," sez I. "I did my best
bringin' her up, but if a kag is filled with rain water you can't tap
it and have it run cream or maple molasses. She wuz nateraly kinder
sentimental and vain and over dressy, and keeps up them traits to this
day. And I d'no what she would have done if she'd tried to rule a
kingdom at eighteen; I guess her subjects would have seen strange
doin's and strange costooms, though I think Tirzah means to be a
Christian. But you've done first-rate, you've seemed to study the best
good of your subjects and have made a big effort to have peace in the
w