“Things was gettin’ desper’t by that time; for aunt was failin’ rapid, an’ the story hed leaked aout some way, so the hull taown was gigglin’ over it.  I thought I’d better quit them parts; but aunt she showed me her will all done complete, ‘sceptin’ the fust name er the legatee.  ‘There,’ sez she, ’it all depends on yeou, whether that place is took by Hiram or Josiah.  It’s easy done, an’ so it’s goan tew stan’ till the last minnit.’  That riled me consid’able, an’ I streaked off tew May Jane Simlin’s.  She want very waal off, nor extra harnsome, but she was pious the wust kind, an’ dreadf’l clever to them she fancied.  But I was daown on my luck agin; fer at the fust word I spoke of merryin’, she showed me the door, an’ give me to understan’ that she couldn’t think er hevin’ a man that warn’t a church-member, that hadn’t experienced religion, or even ben struck with conviction, an’ all the rest on’t.  Ef anny one hed a wanted tew hev seen a walkin’ hornet’s nest, they could hev done it cheap that night, as I went hum.  I jest stramed intew the kitchen, chucked my hat intew one corner, my coat intew ’nother, kicked the cat, cussed the fire, drawed up a chair, and set scaoulin’ like sixty, bein’ tew mad for talkin’.  The young woman that was nussin’ aunt,—­Bewlah Blish, by name,—­was a cookin’ grewel on the coals, and ’peared tew understan’ the mess I was in; but she didn’t say nothin’, only blowed up the fire, fetched me a mug er cider, an’ went raound so kinder quiet, and sympathizin’, that I faound the wrinkles in my temper gettin’ smoothed aout ‘mazin’ quick; an’ ’fore long I made a clean breast er the hull thing.  Bewlah larfed, but I didn’t mind her doin’ on’t, for she sez, sez she, real sort o’ cunnin’,—­

“’Poor Hiram! they didn’t use yeou waal.  Yeou ought to hev tried some er the poor an’ humly girls; they’d a’ been glad an’ grateful fer such a sweetheart as yeou be.’

“I was good-natered agin by that time, an’ I sez, larfin’ along with her, ’Waal I’ve got three mittens, but I guess I might’s waal hev ’nother, and that will make two pair complete.  Say, Bewlah, will yeou hev me?’

“‘Yes, I will,’ sez she.

“‘Reelly?’ sez I.

“‘Solemn trew,’ sez she.

“Ef she’d up an’ slapped me in the face, I shouldn’t hev ben more throwed aback, fer I never mistrusted she cared two chips for me.  I jest set an’ gawped; fer she was solemn trew, I see that with half an eye, an’ it kinder took my breath away.  Bewlah drawed the grewel off the fire, wiped her hands, an’ stood lookin’ at me a minnet, then she sez, slow an’ quiet, but tremblin’ a little, as women hev a way er doin’, when they’ve consid’able steam aboard,—­