But Barzelia Ann Allen (a old maid up to date) had seen her, had been
out to California on a excursion train, and had staid some time with
'em.

And she said that she wuz the smartest child this side of Heaven. With
eyes of violet blue, big luminous eyes, that draw the hearts and souls
of folks right out of their bodies when they looked into 'em, so full of
radiant joy and heavenly sweetness wuz they.

And hair of waving gold, and lips and cheeks as pink as the hearts of
the roses that climbed all Winter round her winder--and the sweetest,
daintiest ways--and so good to everybody, them that wuz poor and
sufferin' most of all.

Barzeel wuz always most too enthusiastick to suit me, but I got the idee
from what she said that she wuz a oncommon lovely child.

Good land! Elnathan couldn't talk about anything else--like little
babblin' brooks runnin' towards the sea, all his talk, every anecdote he
told, and every idee he sot forth, jest led up to and ended with that
child. Jest like creeks.

He worshipped her.

And he himself told me so many stories about her bein' so good to the
poor, and sacrificin' her little comforts for 'em--at her age, too--that
I thought to myself, I wonder why you don't take some of them object
lessons to heart--why you don't set down at her feet, and learn of
her--and I wonder too where she took her sweet charity from, but spoze