marriage. When I see the way some men wear themselves out with wantin'
little specks of women, I say to myself over an' over agin, 'Ah, if they
only knew that thar ain't nothin' in it except the wantin'.'"

"Not another thing--not another blessed mite of a thing," agreed
William, who had imbibed secretly again behind the back of his wife.

"I've know a man to throw himself into the river from sheer love befo'
marriage," said Solomon, "an' two weeks arter the woman had taken
him, to fall out with her because she'd put too much shortenin' in his
pie-crust."

"It's all love befo' marriage an' all shortenin' arterwards," observed
Betsey Bottom, with scorn. "I've al'ays noticed in this world that the
less men folks have to say for themselves the better case they make of
it. When they've spent all thar time sence Adam tryin' to throw dust in
the eyes of women, it would be better manners if they'd stop twittin'
'em because they'd succeeded."

"True, true, you never spoke a truer word, ma'am, in my acquaintance
with you," responded Solomon, with what hasty gallantry he could summon.
"I was thinkin' them very things to myself when you mentioned 'em. Not
that anybody could throw dust in yo' eyes, even if he tried to."

"Well, it would take mo'n a man to do that, I reckon," she replied,
amiably enough, "I saw through 'em early, an' when you've once seen
through 'em it's surprisin' how soon the foolishness of men begins to
look like any other foolishness on earth."

She was listened to with respectful and flattering attention by her