repose here to-day, and I'll tell her that. This house has got to be all
tore to pieces to get that stove started."

Sez I, "There won't be nothin' to do only to take off one side of the
door casin'. And I believe it can be done without that."

"Oh, you believe! you believe! You'd better take holt and lug and lift
for two hours as I have, and then see."

Sez I, "You hain't been here more'n ten minutes, if you have that. And
there," sez I, liftin' up one end a little, "see what anybody can do who
is calm. There I have stirred it, and now you can move it right along."
"Oh, _you_ did it! I moved it myself."

I didn't contend, knowin' it wuz men's natural nater to say that.

[Illustration: "AND HE SAID I HAD RUBBED 'EM OUT."]

Wall, at last Josiah got the stove in, but then the stove-pipe wouldn't
go together, it wouldn't seem to fit. He had marked the joints with
chalk, and the marks had rubbed off, and he said I had "rubbed 'em out."
I wuz just as innocent as a babe, but I didn't dispute him much, for I
see a little crack open in the parlor door, and I knew the author of
"Wedlock's Peaceful Repose" was a-listenin'.

But when he told me for the third time that I rubbed 'em out on purpose
to make him trouble, and that I had made a practice of rubbin' 'em out
for years and years--why, then I _had_ to correct him on the subject,
and we had a little dialogue.