The very room, coz she wuz in,
  Looked warm frum floor to ceilin’,
An’ she looked full ez rosy agin
  Ez th’ apples she wuz peelin’.

She heerd a foot an’ knowed it, tu,
  Araspin’ on the scraper,—­
All ways to once her feelins flew
  Like sparks in burnt-up paper.

He kin’ o’ l’itered on the mat,
  Some doubtfle o’ the seekle;
His heart kep’ goin’ pitypat,
  But hern went pity Zekle.

An’ yet she gin her cheer a jerk
  Ez though she wished him furder,
An’ on her apples kep’ to work
  Ez ef a wager spurred her.

‘You want to see my Pa, I spose?’
  ‘Wall, no; I come designin’—­’
‘To see my Ma?  She’s sprinklin’ clo’es
  Agin to-morrow’s i’nin’.’

He stood a spell on one foot fust,
  Then stood a spell on tother,
An’ on which one he felt the wust
  He couldn’t ha’ told ye, nuther.

Sez he, ‘I’d better call agin;’
  Sez she,’Think likely, Mister;’
The last word pricked him like a pin,
  An’—­wal, he up and kist her.

When Ma bimeby upon ’em slips,
  Huldy sot pale ez ashes,
All kind o’smily round the lips
  An’ teary round the lashes.

Her blood riz quick, though, like the tide
  Down to the Bay o’ Fundy,
An’ all I know is they wuz cried
  In meetin’, come nex Sunday.

SATIS multis sese emptores futuros libri professis, Georgius Nichols, Cantabrigiensis, opus emittet de parte gravi sed adhuc neglecta historiae naturalis, cum titulo sequente, videlicet: 

Conatus ad Delineationem naturalem nonnihil perfectiorem Scarabaei Bombilatoris, vulgo dicti HUMBUG, ab HOMERO WILBUR, Artium Magistro, Societatis historico-naturalis Jaalamensis Praeside (Secretario, Socioque (eheu!) singulo), multarumque aliarum Societatum eruditarum (sive ineruditarum) tam domesticarum quam transmarinarum Socio—­forsitan futuro.

PROEMIUM

LECTORI BENEVOLO S.

Toga scholastica nondum deposita, quum systemata varia entomologica, a viris ejus scientiae cultoribus studiosissimis summa diligentia aedificata, penitus indagassem, non fuit quin luctuose omnibus in iis, quamvis aliter laude dignissimis, hiatum magni momenti perciperem.  Tunc, nescio quo motu superiore impulsus, aut qua captus dulcedine operis, ad eum implendum (Curtius alter) me solemniter devovi.  Nec ab isto labore, [Greek:  daimonios] imposito, abstinui antequam tractatulum sufficienter inconcinnum lingua vernacula perfeceram.  Inde, juveniliter tumefactus, et barathro ineptiae [Greek:  ton bibliopolon] (necnon ’Publici Legentis’) nusquam explorato, me composuisse quod quasi placentas praefervidas (ut sic dicam) homines ingurgitarent credidi.  Sed, quum huic et alio bibliopolae MSS. mea submisissem et nihil solidius responsione valde negativa in Musaeum meum retulissem, horror ingens atque misericordia, ob crassitudinem Lambertianam in cerebris homunculorum