"Wall," sez Josiah, "that, too, is on account of their brains. Their
brains hain't so hefty es men's."

But I jest waded into the argument then. I jest interfered, and sez in a
loud, clear tone,

"Oh, shaw!"

And then I sez further, in the same calm, clear tones, but dry as ever a
dry oven wuz in its dryest times. Sez I,

"If you men can't help us any about the meetin' house, you'd better get
out of our way, for we wimmen have got to go to scrubbin' right where
you are a-standin'."

"Certainly," sez Josiah, in a polite axent, "certainly."

And so the rest of the men said.

And Josiah added to his remarks, as he went down the steps,

"You'd better get home, Samantha, in time to cook a hen, and make some
puddin', and so forth."

And I sez, with quite a lot of dignity, "Have I ever failed, Josiah
Allen, to have good dinners for you, and on time too?"

"No," sez he, "but I thought I would jest stop to remind you of it,
and also to tell you the last news from the Conference, about the