His Pa wuz as big and important-lookin’ as Raymond wuz insignificant. And I sez to Josiah the first chance I got, out to one side, sez I:
“I’ve hearn a sight from old Judge Snow about this relation of hisen bein’ a self-made man;” and sez I, “If he did make himself, he did up the job in quite a good shape, didn’t he?”
Josiah can’t bear to have me praise up any man, married or single, bond or free, only jest himself, and he sez:
“If I had made him I would have put in some improvements on him. I wouldn’t have had him so cussed big feelin’ for one thing.”
I wuz deeply mortified to hear him use that wicked word, and told him so.
But I couldn’t help seein’ that Josiah wuz right in thinkin’ Senator Coleman wuz proud and high-headed, for truly he wuz. His head wuz right up in the air, and he sort o’ leaned back when he walked, and over his portly stomach hung a glitterin’ watch-chain that he sort o’ fingered and played with as he walked about, and he had some diamonds a flashin’ on his little finger, and his shirt-front, and cuffs.
His eyes wuz a bright blue and as bold and piercin’ looking as Raymond’s wuz gentle and helpless, and his mustache and short hair wuz a sort of a iron gray; and his face bein’ florid and his features good, he made a handsome appearance; and Maggie, I could see, wuz quite proud of the relation on her side.
“WITH A JUMPIN’ TOOTHACHE.”
Wall, we had a good warm supper all ready for ’em, Maggie’s cook bein’ sort o’ helpless that day with a jumpin’ toothache (it jumped worse after Maggie went away and she see in me a willingness to help her get supper).