life congratulate Tamer on her efficient and neat lookin' handmaid, no, I dassent bring back any reminiscences of Arabeller, I kep' still, and, follerin' the Scripter, I partook of what wuz set before me and asked no questions for conscience sake.
Uncle Ichabod, bein' the oldest perfessor present, asked splendid blessin's at both meals, and everything moved on as smooth as clockwork; the relations visited together and talked about the news of the day and about the absent relation, as is their wont to do on such occasions. The old ones settin' with their heads clost together tradin' stories of the past; the middle-aged ones strollin' round or gossippin' together on the porches or lawn, talkin' together of the present, their business, their failures and successes; the young ones playin' on the pianny, and the children shoutin' and laughin' and havin' the best time of all.
And Celestine paintin' away at that landscape and perfectin' the feathers of that stork. Two or three times I see little Mary approach her and snuggle up against her and seem to want some attention, but every time her Ma wuz too busy to notice her, some of the tiny feathers on that stork's legs callin' for concentrated attention, and the bulrushes on the bank had to be shaded jest right, and so she told little Mary to run away, she couldn't spend any time with her.
Well, the relations all went home on the evenin' train and stage, all but one or two of the business men, who had to go earlier, them men took their pleasure grudgingly as if they didn't really know how to spend in social enjoyment and leisure the time that should been devoted to pilin' up treasures on earth. All went but Celestine and little Mary and my pardner and me. By the urgent
