But I said that Duty and Josiah binded me to my home and Jonesville.
Wall, the next summer what should P. Martyn do but to write to me that he and Alice and Adrian, his two children, wuz a-comin’ to Jonesville, and would we take ’em in for a week? He thought his children needed fresh air and a little cossetin’.
Wall, to me, Josiah Allen’s wife, who has brung up almost numberless lambs and chickens by hand as cossets, this allusion to “cossetin’” melted me so and warmed up my nater, that my reply wuz about the temperture of skim milk het for the calves.
So they come.
And indeed I said then what I say now, and I’ll defy anybody to dispute me, that two prettier, winnin’er creeters never lived than them two children.
Two prettier, winnin’er creeters never lived than them two.
Alice wuz about sixteen then, and Adrian wuz about five, and wuzn’t they happy! My hull heart went out to ’em, and mebby it wuz that love atmosphere that wropped ’em completely round that made ’em grow so bright and cheerful and healthy.
There hain’t no atmosphere that is at the same time so inspirin’ and so restful as the heart atmosphere of love.
You can always tell ’em that breathe its rare, fine atmosphere by the radiance in their faces and the lightness of their step.