us indeed a strange incident, and

n' about it, as you know the way is. Why

or shrinkage, and sometimes three-quarters; and a good many tim

lain and unvarnished history of it. And what I set down in this epistol, you can depend up

g by the side of the railroad. A Irishman had owned it previous and prior to this time, and had built a little shanty on it, and a pig-pen. But times got hard, the pig died,

e no objection to the enterprize, but, on the other hand, I encouraged him in it. And so he made the bargain with him, the deed wus made out, the Irishman paid. And Josiah put a lot of wood-ch

it, and kep' what he wanted, he calculated and laid out to sell the place for twice what he give for it. Josiah Allen hain't nobody's fool in a bargain,

th the shanty and the pig-pen that wus on it. The p

nd draw the lumber home: he said the boards

act words I used, not expectin' that I would ever have to remember back, and lay 'em to heart. Which I

" For I mistrusted there would be some planks amongst 'em, and I wanted a couple to lay down

s, exceedingly so, for the time of year. And I proposed to him that we should have the children come home on the 8th of April, which wus Thomas J.'s birthday, and have as nice

hicken, and a layer of oysters. I can make a chicken-pie that will melt in your mouth, though I am fur from bein' the one that ort to say it); and I wus goin' to have a baked fowl, and vegetables of all kinds, and ev

they say they do. They say, that since they have gone out into the world more, and seen more of the coldness and

y do. And they treat me pretty, dretful pretty. I don't want

they caused me. There hain't no paymaster like Love: he pays the best wages, and the most

The children and Josiah eat as if-Wall, suffice it to say, the w

round the back, and bows of the same on top, and a red cushion,-a soft feather cushion that I made myself for it, cove

some china coffee cup and saucer, with "To My Son" painted on it; and I urged him to give him that, with ten new silver dollars in it. Says I, "He is all the son

's Ann's birthday; and we both told her, Josiah and me, both did, that she must get ready for jest another such a time. For we laid out to treat 'em bot

and me should go along to Jonesville with 'em, and carry little Samantha Joe. And I wus very agreeab

m golden palaces, and towers of splendor, that riz up from the sea of gold. And behind them shinin' towers wus shadowy mountain ranges of softest color, that melted up into the tender blue of the April sk

nd see yourself in 'em; but, beyond yourself, what is it you can see? I can't tell, nor nobody. The ellusive, wonderful beauty that lays in the inno

hing. Nobody can't-Josiah can't, nor I, nor nobody. Pretty soon she looked up at t

yet, and translate into our coarser language; and she, with her deep, beautiful eyes, a readin' it jest as plain as prin

comet; but I know better. Says I, "Josiah

hat it was. And in a minu

s the comma u

pyramids, to the astronimers of to-day who are spending their lives in the study of the heavens. If every one of them learned men of the world, livin' and dead, if they all stood in rows in our door-yard in front of little Samant

' fearfully, fearf

stopped to the post-office. Josiah went into the office, and come out with his "World," and one letter, a big letter with a blue envelope. I thou

your letter is fr

e out who it was to. I should think, by his tell, it wus the dumbdest writi

I, "If I wus a grandfather, Josiah Allen, I would choose

' is enough to make a ma

the letter he had got, off onto his companion, as the way of male pardners is, he felt easy

ht crimson spread on it, for the lamp; and I put Josiah's rockin'-chair and mine, one on each side of it; and put Josiah's slippers in front of

that the bootjack never could be found where he had left it" (which was right in the middle of the settin'-room floor). But he

asy-chair opposite to his beloved companion, he grew calmer agai

face at the same time; and I see that as he read the lette

letter from,

lookin' up

d says he, lookin' close at it agin, "As near as I can ma

, Josiah Allen. Why should

look at it," says he, growin' excited over it,-"the more

't believe it,

retful excited, he always calls me Samantha Allen), "and see

ld partly make out the word "remove," and along down the sheet the word "place," and the

s, for me to remove myself from place to pla

r up to the light. "No, I don'

led, "I'll try it to-morrow, anyway. I'l

r in the mornin' up from my wood-lot. But it won't take me more'n

iah Allen, should the Railroad C

he, "I have

ort of a mysterious way

nk is the reason

best to tell what you think.

d to use common sense unless they have got it;" and I say

wed up to the house, Josiah Allen dressed up, and sot off for Jonesville

, Samantha Allen? Now what do you t

e you rode on it

to Loontown and back; and I might have gone

What did the

to him. And he took it, and looked at it close, and took out his specks, and looked and looked at it for a numb

conductor look when

bersome. But, says he, "I rode on

in', "there is a gre

re hain't no

tell me what he thought the r

mb smart feller, Samantha, though I never could make you see it as plain as

ight side of me. And they have took the right way to do it. I shall speak well of 'em as long as I can ride free. And, oh! what solid comfort I shall take, Samantha, a ridin' on that pass! I calculate to see the world now. And there is nothin'

n't ride off on a mys

proud and excited that yo

to me. To think that they think so much of me, set such a store by me, and look up to me so, that they send me a free

and I wus that dumbfoundered and wonderin' about it, that I

on it, on a visit to his first wive's sister; and he went to Michigan on it, and to the South,

he'd take them onto that pass,

much agin of the honor as he did of the money. It showed that he wus

oud. And some of the neighbors that he boasted so before, wus eat up with envy, and seemed mad to think he had come t

ugh I did take a few short journeys on it, to please him. But I felt sort o' uneasy while I was a ridin' on it, same as you feel when you are goin' up-hill w

asy. And as I told Josiah time and time again, "tha

As near as he could make out, it run out about the 4th day of April. So he wrote down to the head one in

it wus a order for Josiah Allen to remove a pig-pen

iah Allen had been a ridin' on it for a year, with

so over its bein' gin to him on account of his bein' so smart and popular and etcetery, he wou

e: truly, men are constituted in such a way that mo

made sights and sights of fun of him, poked fun at him, and snickered.

osiah Allen, mebby you won't go round wi

I guess," says he, "it will learn 'em another time to tak

ly." And he knew what