[Illustration: JOSIAH TELLING THE NEWS TO SAMANTHA.]

Her mother was my companion's sister,--one of a pair of twins, Mary and
Maria, that thought the world of each other, as twins will. Their mother
died when they wus both of 'em babies; and they wus adopted by a rich
aunt, who brought 'em up elegant, and likely too: that I will say for her,
if she wus a 'Piscopal, and I a Methodist. I am both liberal and truthful
--very.

Maria wus Cicely's ma, and she wus left a widow when she wus a young
woman; and Cicely wus her only child. And the two wus bound up in each
other as I never see a mother and daughter in my life before or sense.

The third year after Josiah and me wus married, Maria wusn't well, and the
doctor ordered her out into the country for her health; and she and little
Cicely spent the hull of that summer with us. Cicely wus about ten; and
how we did love that girl! Her mother couldn't bear to have her out of her
sight; and I declare, we all of us wus jest about as bad. And from that
time they used to spend most all of their summers in Jonesville. The air
agreed with 'em, and so did I: we never had a word of trouble. And we used
to visit them quite a good deal in the winter season: they lived in the
city.

Wall, as Cicely got to be a young girl, I used often to set and look at
her, and wonder if the Lord could have made a prettier, sweeter girl if he
had tried to. She looked to me jest perfect, and so she did to Josiah.

And she knew so much, too, and wus so womanly and quiet and deep. I s'pose
it wus bein' always with her mother that made her seem older and more