h question in the wide, wide worl'!"

"Mr. Leggett, ef you crowds me any wuss on dis-yeh buggy seat I--I'll
give you--I'll give you a unfavo'able answeh! Mr. Leggett"--she
sniggered--"you don't gimme no chaynce to think o' no objections even ef
I had any! Will you please to keep yo' foot where yo' foot belong, seh?
Mr. Leggett----"

"What is it, my sweet spirit o' nightshade?"

"Mr. Leggett"--the eyes sparkled with banter--"I'll tell you ef you'll
fus' aansweh _me_ a riddle; will you? 'Caze ef you don't I won't tell
you. Will you?"

"Lawd! I'll try! On'y ass it quick befo' my haht bus' wide opm. Ass it
quick!"

"Well, you know, I cayn't ass it so scan'lous quick, else I run de
dangeh o' gettin' it wrong. Now, dis is it: When is--hol' on, lemme
see--yass, dass it. When is two--aw! pshaw! you make me laaugh so I
can't ax it at all! When is two raace hawses less'n one?"

"Aw, sheh! I kin ans' that in five minutes! I kin ans' it in one minute!
I kin ans' it now! Two hosses is--"

"Hol' on! I said raace hawses! Two raace hawses, I said, seh!"

"Well, dass all right, race hosses! Two race hosses less'n one when they
reti-ud into the omlibus business."

"No, seh! no seh!" The maiden cackled till the forest answered back.
"No, _seh_! two raace hawses less'n one when each one on'y jess abreas'
o' the otheh!"

--"'Breas' o'--aw pshaw! you tuck the words right out'n my mouth! I seed
the answeh to it fum the fus; I made a wrong espunction the fus time
on'y jess faw a joke! Now, you ans' my question, dearess."

But the dearest had become grave and stately. "Mr. Leggett, befo' I
comes to dat finality, I owes it to myseff an' likewise to my pa'ents to
git yo' respondence to, anyhow, one question, an' ef you de man o' poweh
you say you is, y' ought to be highly fitt'n' to give de correc' reply."

"Espoun' your question, miss! Espoun' yo' question!"

"Well, seh, de question is dis: Why is de--? No, dat ain't it. Lemme
see. O yass, whass de diff'ence 'twix' de busy blacksmiff an' de loss
calf? Ans' me dat, seh! Folks say C'nelius Leggett a pow'ful smaht maan!
How I gwine to know he a smaht maan ef he cayn't evm ans' a
riddle-diddle-dee?"

"I kin ans' it! I's ans'ed bushels an' ba'ls o' riddles! Now that riddle
is estremely simple, an' dis is de inte'p'etation thereof! The diff'ence
betwix' a busy blacksmiff an' a loss ca-alf--thass what you said, ain't
it?--Yass, well, it's because--O thass too easy! I dislikes to occupy