But I sez soothin’ly, “It is sunthin’, Josiah, to live in a palace;” and I drawed his attention to the mosaic work on 333 the floor, and the massive furniture covered with inlaid work.
And he sez, “I’d ruther have less work laid into the furniture and some decent food laid into my stomach.”
Oh, what a appetite that man has got! It had kep’ active all the way from Jonesville around the world and wuz still up and a-doin’. Well, he can’t help it. He acted real obstrupulous and onhappy. He has such spells every little while. I mistrusted and he just as good as owned up to me that it wuz partly owin’ to his bein’ dressed up all the time; it wuz a dretful cross to him. He wears frocks to hum, round doin’ the barn chores, and loose shues, but now of course he had no reprieve from night till mornin’ from tight collars and cuffs and his best shues.
But then, he had restless spells to hum and onhappy ones, and acted; and I told him he did and he disputed me right up and down. He didn’t feel very well, anyway; he had told me that mornin’ early how he pined for Jonesville, how he longed to be there, and how he didn’t care for a thing outside of them beloved presinks. And I told him it wuzn’t reasonable. Sez I, “Enjoy Jonesville while you are there and now enjoy Europe whilst you are here.”
Sez he, with a real sentimental look, “Oh, Jonesville, how happy I’ll be if I ever see thee agin! How content, how blessed!”
Sez I, “You wuzn’t always happy there, Josiah; you oft-times got restless and oneasy there.”
“Never!” sez he, “never did I see a onhappy or a tired day there in my life.”
But he did. He got down-casted there jest as he did here. I knowed how often I had soothed and comforted his sperits by extra good meals. But he wouldn’t own up to it, and seein’ he looked so gloomy and deprested I went to work and episoded some right there, whilst I wuz comin’ my hair and dressin’, in hopes that it would bring a more happy and contented look onto his liniment, for what will not a devoted pardner do to console her consort?
Sez I, “Josiah, life is a good deal like the Widder Rice’s yarn I’ve heard Ma Smith tell on. She wuzn’t a smooth spinner and there would be thick bunches in her yarn and thin streaks; she called ’em gouts and twits. She’d say, ‘Yes, I know my yarn is full of gouts and twits, but when it’s doubled most likely a gout will come aginst a twit and make it even.’”