Page:Samantha on Children's Rights.djvu/331

 And Jack sez, "Do you spoze there will be anybody there to answer questions!" And I, thinkin' of the strange riddles of this life, and how much we need heavenly light on 'em, sez:

"Yes, I am sure of that, Jack."

"Well, I sot for a spell longer lookin' out dreamily and never took particular notice of his warm kiss as he left me, he wuz always kissin' me, except thinkin' mekanically it wuz a long and sticky one, as they often wuz, owin' to love and molasses candy. And it wuzn't more'n a spell after that before I ondressed and went to bed, Josiah havin' been reposin' on his peaceful piller for some time. And I, too, fell asleep. When all of a sudden I hearn steps runnin' round and excited talk goin' on below, my first thought wuz of burglars, but as the excitement seemed to increase I thought of a conflagration and rousted up my companion, and sez:

"Sunthin' is the matter, Josiah Allen, you will have to git up and see about it."

"Which is it to-night, Samantha," sez he, in a sarcastick axent that I despise, "is it a mouse or a burglar!"

I looked witherin' at him, and he sez, "I merely asked you so I should know how to prepare to meet the foe, with a mouse trap or a sord."

I deny that I git him up very often to tend to such things, not oftener than once in a while, not oftener than the common run of wimmen do. But the excitement continued to rain, and finally he hearn it rain himself, and he sez:

"Well, I guess there is sunthin' the matter."

And jest then we hearn a rap on our door, and Josiah sez, "Who is there! What is the matter?"