Such talk didn’t seem to move me a mite, but it impressed Josiah dretfully and he sez, “I shall have this new invention stand next to my hen coop at the Exposition of St. Josiah.”

I shuddered and turned the subject round quick as I could.  Well, Karen labored with me over two hours, dwellin’ in particular on the perfect stillness of the heatin’ apparatus, and agin as before that thought tempted me awfully, for I’d hearn the cracklin’ snappin’ sounds that sometimes comes from steam heat and dreaded to have it reproduced in my home, and seein’ my looks Karen amplified on the idee, How sweet it would be in December to set down in a rockin’ chair in the still warmth of a day in July and go through the winter in that luxurious lovely way.  She talked till she had to go home almost on the run, for she said Jabez’es mind worked so hard it exhausted his body completely so she had to have the most nourishin’ food ready for him at the very minute or he would break right down.  But to the last she praised up Jabez’es work.  But I wouldn’t say a encouragin’ word furder than this, “I feel dubersome about it, Karen, dretful dubersome.”

That afternoon Rosy come over to stay all night, and she too tackled me on the subject.  He had asked her to, always hangin’ onto some woman for help.  But with her too I used the same tick-tacks I had with Karen, I said mildly after each modest plea for his great genius, and how well he would do the work, “I feel dubersome about it, Rosy, dretful dubersome.”

Then she, too, sweetly spoke of the summer warmth, and the entire absence of noise, and agin that thought tempted me, but I sez, “How do you know, Rosy, that it will be entirely noiseless?”

“Oh, I know it will, Jabez sez so.  He is sure to succeed, and it will help him so to have your influence, he expects to publish a book of the greater eulogies from noted people on this new invention, and he intends to have your name head the list.  When you say this perfectly noiseless machine heats your house too warm in the coldest weather, what a help it will be to him, and your name will be first,” she repeated agin.

“He’d better have the President and Cabinet come first,” sez I dryly, dry as a chip in dog days.

“No, he spoke about that, but thought he would have them come next to yours, and I approved of it,” sez she affectionately, “and so did his ma.

“He will git out the book as soon as he comes home from the St. Louis Exposition with all the big eulogies he gits there on his inventions.”

I groaned to myself and got up quick and went into the buttery and took a drink of cold water, I felt so kinder sickish.  Well at modest intervals she would politely and gently tackle me about it, at the table and while she wuz washin’ dishes, but I held firm, though very considerate and tender to her.  I mogulated my axent low and gentle and looked mild at her over my specs, as I washed and she wiped, but my words wuz ever the same.