tew loggin'. Aunt hed got fond er me by that time, and felt dreadful
bad abaout my leavin' on her. Cousin Siah, as we called Josiah,
didn't cotton tew the old woman, though he did tew her cash; but we
hitched along fust-rate. She was 'tached tew the place, hated tew
hev it let or sold, thought I'd go to everlastin' rewin ef I took
tew lumberin' ag'in, an' hevin' a tidy little sum er money all her
own, she took a notion tew buy me off. 'Hiram,' sez she, 'ef yeou'll
stay tew hum, merry some smart gal, an' kerry on the farm, I'll
leave yeou the hull er my fortin. Ef yeou don't, I'll leave every
cent on't tew Siah, though he ain't done as waal by me as yeou hev.
Come,' sez she, 'I'm breakin' up like brother; I shan't wurry any
one a gret while, and 'fore spring I dessay you'll hev cause tew
rejice that yeou done as Aunt Si counselled yeou.'

"Now, that idee kinder took me, seein' I hedn't no overpaourin' love
fer cousin; but I brewdid over it a spell 'fore I 'greed. Fin'lly, I
said I'd dew it, as it warn't a hard nor a bad trade; and begun to
look raound fer Mis Flint, Jr. Aunt was dreadf'l pleased; but 'mazin
pertickler as tew who was goan tew stan' in her shoes, when she was
fetched up ag'inst the etarnal boom. There was a sight er lovely
women-folks raound taown; but aunt she set her foot daown that Mis
Flint must be smart, pious, an' good-natered; harnsome she didn't
say nothin' abaout, bein' the humliest woman in the State er Maine.
I hed my own calk'lations on that pint, an' went sparkin' two or
three er the pootiest gals, all that winter. I warn't in no hurry,
fer merryin' is an awful resky bizness; an' I warn't goan to be took
in by nobuddy. Some haouw I couldn't make up my mind which I'd hev,
and kept dodgin', all ready to slew raound, an' hitch on tew ary one
that seemed likeliest. 'Long in March, aunt, she ketched cold, took
tew her bed, got wuss, an' told me tew hurry up, fer nary red should