It always happens dretful onfortunate jest whilst you are there.

Josiah wuz jest preparin’ to blame the girl agin, I dare presoom to say, when I hearn another voice on the seen.

It wuz the voice of a Englishman that Josiah had got some acquainted with, and who had disputed warm with him about their two different countries, each one on ’em a-praisin’ up his own native land to the skies.

And Josiah made a derisive remark to him right there in that untoward place about his “dum climate.”

I wuz mortified, but couldn’t walk out and interfere, not bein’ dressed.

After passin’ a number of sentences back and forth, I hearn the Englishman say—

“This is a great country, sir—the sun never sets on it.”

And Josiah sez in a real mean axent—

“Good reason for that! the sun never rises on’t—it can’t go down where it hain’t riz! I hain’t seen a ray of sunshine sence I come to England!”

Thinkses I, “Dressed or ondressed, I’ve got to interfere,” and I hollered out agin, “Josiah—Josiah Allen!” And he see in my axent a need of haste.