As I sed, Martin and Alice went round quite a good deal to see her friends—Lords and Ladies some on ’em; she got acquainted with ’em to school, when she wuz a-boardin’ with that Miss Ponsions, a good likely school-teacher she wuz, so fur as I could make out.
But owin’ to the Widder Albert enjoyin’ sech poor health, and not bein’ able to git to see me, I didn’t seem to want to go round so much. I didn’t want to go to parties—no, indeed!
Alice come home from one gin by Lady L——, and, if you’ll believe it, her pretty dress wuz all crushed and torn, fairly spilte. Alice sed there wuz sech a jam she couldn’t breathe hardly.
And I sez, “Sech doin’s don’t speak well for the woman of the house—lady or no lady; and,” sez I, “I’d love to advise her; I’d tell her that when I give a quiltin’ or a parin’-bee I never invite more’n can git round the quilt and the parin’ machines handy and without crowdin’.”
Sez I, “I could probble put idees into Lady L——’s head that would help her all her life in futer parties.” But I didn’t happen to see her, poor thing! and so I spoze she’ll keep on in the old way.
I have known ’em who lived in the country, fur back from the delights and advantages of Jonesville—I have known them creeters, when they come in on a saw log or on a load of calves to ship, I have seen ’em look with perfect or at the commotion and life in the Jonesville street, where, right in front of the tarvern, I have seen with my own eyes as many as five teams and two open buggies, besides walkers on the sidewalk. This sight to ’em, fresh from country wilds, where one wagon along the road a day wuz a fair average, wuz as good as a circus to ’em.
Right in front of the tarvern, I have seen with my own eyes as many as five teams and two open buggies.
But the Jonesvillians wuz ust to the rush and bustle of them seven teams, and acted calm and self-possessed and hauty through it all.
But I have seen the pride of them very Jonesvillians took down when they visited New York. There I have seen ’em stand with or on lower Broadway, when they see the rush, and jam, and push, and pull, and I’ve hearn their remarks, full as wonderin’ and as agitated as the backwooders from way behind Jonesville.