They come right into the kitchen and made me keep on with my work, which I did after a little, they takin’ holt and helpin’ me like two happy children. They stayed most all the forenoon, but had promised to go back to Arvilly’s to dinner.
Well! Well! I hadn’t been so tickled in matrimonial ways and riz up and routed and dumb foundered since Thomas J. and Maggie Snow got engaged. It seems that Ernest White had gone way out to the Philippines after her, and they wuz married in a little American chapel by a missionary of the M. E. meetin’-house.
They wuz goin’ right to housekeeping in the widder Pooler’s, where he had boarded. The widder had gone to live with her daughter, Mahala, in Michigan, and Ernest White has bought it. It stands in a pretty place near a evergreen grove, just on the edge of Loontown near his people that he loves, and has gin his life work to make better. And, oh, what a sweet love-guarded home Waitstill White is goin’ to make for her pardner, and how happy Ernest White is goin’ to be with the woman he loves. For besides bein’ so congenial and beloved, Waitstill is as good a cook as I ever 455 see, and no matter how much a man’s soul soars up to the heavens, whilst his body is on earth he will always appreciate good vittles. Love never did nor never will thrive on a empty stummick. Harmony of soul is delightful, and perfect congeniality is sweet, and so is good yeast emtin’ bread if it is made right, kneaded three times, riz in a cool place and baked to a turn. And tender broiled chops and chicken, and hot muffins and fragrant coffee has some the effect on the manly breast of love’s young dream.
Waitstill is a real home lover and homemaker. And it seems that by her advice Ernest White had had alterations in the house made that I approved highly on when I see ’em, and they had ordered lots of things to be sent from the city to make it pleasant, all put in first-rate order by the man left in charge, and they invited Josiah and me to take tea with ’em the very next evenin’ and go to meetin’ with ’em, which we gladly accepted, seein’ we had got our preparations so fur along; Arvilly wuz goin’ to be there they said. And, of course, I invited ’em to my Thanksgivin’ dinner, which they accepted with the same pleasure that we had theirn.
CHAPTER XXXVI
Well, the next day, or ruther that night I begun to make preparations to go to Waitstill White’s. I got a early supper that night so’s to git to bed early so’s to git up in good season; so’s to git a early breakfast the next mornin’, so’s to git a early dinner, so’s to start in good season for Ernest and Waitstill White’s. And I kep’ sayin’ that over and over the next mornin’, “Ernest and Waitstill White’s,” it sounded dretful good to me, dretful.
I sez to Philury, “We must have dinner early, for we are invited to Ernest and Waitstill White’s.”
And I sez the same to Josiah. And he sez, “You’ve said that to me a dozen times already.”