But at last a event occurred that sort a sot him to thinkin’ and quelled him down some. One day we sot out for a walk, Josiah and Ardelia Tutt and me. And in spite of all my protestations, my pardner had drinked 11 glasses full of the spring he wuz a follerin’ then. And he looked white round the lips as anything. And Ardelia and I wuz a sittin’ in a good shady place, and Josiah a little distance off, when a man ackosted him, a man with black eyes and black whiskers, and sez, “You look pale, Sir. What water are you a drinkin’?”
And Josiah told him that at that time he wuz a drinkin’ the water from the Immortal spring.
“Drinkin’ that water?” sez the man, startin’ back horrefied.
“Yes,” sez Josiah, turnin’ paler than ever, for the man’s looks wuz skairful in the extreme.
“Oh! oh!” groaned the man. “And you are a married man?” he groaned out mournfully, a lookin’ pitifully at him. “With a family?”
“Yes,” sez Josiah, faintly.
“Oh dear,” sez the man, “must it be so, to die, so—so lamented?”
“To die!” sez Josiah, turnin’ white jest round the lip.
“Yes, to die! Did you not say you had been a drinkin’ the water from the Immortal spring?”
“Yes,” sez Josiah.