"Openin', and blowin', and tramplin'," sez I dreamily.

"Yes," sez the man, "that's what it duz."

And agin Josiah shawed loud. And agin I kep' calm, and sez I,
"I'd give a cent to see it." And sez I, "Do you suppose it would
blow out and trample if we should go in?"

But Josiah grasped holt of my arm and sez, "'Taint safe! my dear
Samantha! don't le's go near the house."

"Why? " sez I coldly, "you say there haint no sech thing as a
gost, what are you afraid on?"

His teeth wuz fairly chatterin'. "Oh! there might be spiders
there, or mice, it haint best to go."

I turned silently round and started on, for my companion's looks
was pitiful in the extreme. But I merely observed this, as we
wended onwards, "I have always noticed this, Josiah Allen, that
them that shaw the most at sech things, are the ones whose teeth
chatter when they come a nigh 'em, showin' plain that the shawers
are really the ones that believe in 'em."

"My teeth chattered," sez he, "because my gooms ache."

"Well," sez I, "the leest said the soonest mended." And we went
on fast ag'in by big houses and little, and boardin' houses, and
boardin' houses, and boardin' houses, and tavrens, and tavrens,
and he kept me a walkin' till my feet wuz most blistered.