Sez I, “Do you stop at once, and come back into your room.”
“No, no!” sez he firmly, and preparin’ to embark on the bolster, “I am a goin’ to Toboggen. And you come and go to. It is so fashionable,” sez he, “such a genteel diversion.”
Sez I, “Do you stop it at once, and come back to your room. Why,” sez I, “the hull house will be routed up, and be up here in a minute.”
“Wall,” sez he, “they’ll see fun if they do and fashion. I am a goin’, Samantha!” and be stepped forward.
Sez I, “They’ll see sunthin’ else that begins with a f, but it haint fun or fashion.’ And agin I sez, “Do you come back, Josiah Allen. You’ll break your neck and rout up the house, and be called a fool.”
“Oh no, Samantha! I must Toboggen. I must go down the slide once.” And he fixed the bolster more firmly on the top stair.
“Wall,” sez I, feelin’ that I wuz drove to my last ambush by him, sez I, “probably five dollars won’t make the expenses good, besides your doctor’s bill, and my mornin’. And I shall put on the deepest of crape, Josiah Allen,” sez I.
I see he wavered and I pressed the charge home. Sez I, “That bolster is thin cloth, Josiah Allen, and you’ll probably have to pay now for draggin’ it all over the floor. If anybody should see you with it there, that bolster would be charged in your bill. And how would it look to the neighbors to have a bolster charged in your bill? And I should treasure it, Josiah Allen, as bein’ the last bill you made before you broke your neck !”
“Oh, wall,” sez he, “I s’pose I can put the bolster back.” But he wuz snappish, and he kep’ snappish all day.
He wuzn’t quelled. Though he had gin in for the time bein’ I see he wuzn’t quelled down. He acted dissatisfied and highheaded, and I felt worried in my mind, not knowin’ what his next move would be.