I asked him what he thought his chances were for obtaining the lady’s hand, and he sed “it lay between him and one Theodorus Whitney, a travelling korn doctor,” and added “if Whitney didn’t look out he would enlarge his head for him.”
Upon mi asking him what he attributed his immense life and vigor to, he sed, in a klear and distinkt voice:
“To 3 small horns ov whiskey a day, beleaving in the hard shell doktering, and voting unanimously the demokratik ticket.”
I thankt him very mutch for the informashun he had given me ov himself, and asked him if he had enny objekshun to 364 mi putting it into print, and he manifested a great desire that i should do so, not forgetting teu make special menshun ov what he had sed about enlarging Whitney’s hed for him, for he thought that would klear him out ov the naberhood.
I left John Bascomb after a deliteful visit ov four hours, and thought over teu miself, if thare waz enny two rules for long life that had been thus far diskovered that waz alike.
The more i thought ov this, the more i wished i could cum akrost Methuseler for a feu minnitts, and hear him tell how he managed.
ELIZIBETH MEACHEM.
Lib Meachem (az she iz familiarly called in the township whare she resides) iz one ov the rarest gems ov extenuated mortality that has ever been mi blessed luk teu enkounter.
She iz not so old az Bascomb bi about two years, being only about 194 years old. Next to Lot’s wife she iz the best preserved woman the world kontains.
I reached her place ov residence early in the morning, and in one minnit after i told her mi bizzness her tounge had a phull hed ov steam on, and for 3 hours it run like a stream ov quicksilver down an inklined plain.