"Why," sez he, "I told you, didn't I? I am goin' to Washington to tend to that Equinomical Counsel. Five hundred male men are a-goin' to git together to counsel together on the best ways of bein' equinomical. And here at last"—sez he proudly—"here at last is the chance I have always been a-lookin' out for. Here is the opportunity for me to show off, and be somebody."
And here he begun agin to onbutton his shirt-sleeves and loosen his collar.
But I sez slowly and firmly, and as much like a heavy weight as I could—
"It is three hours to train time. Set down and act like a human bein' and a Methodist, and tell me what it is you want to do."
He glanced up at the clock onto the mantlery-piece, and he see I wuz right about the time. And he sot down, and sez he—
"That is jest how I want to act, like a Methodist, and a equinomical counsellor."
"What for?" sez I. "What do you want to do?"
"Why, to teach 'em," sez he. "To show myself off. To counsel 'em."
"To counsel 'em about what?" sez I heavily, bein' bound to come to the bottom of the matter, and the sense on't, if sense there wuz in it.