And so each one on us wuz pursuin’ our own peticular fantoms, some on ’em as thin shadders as the materials dreams are made of, and some on ’em as real and practical as horse-blocks and anvils.
Martin sed he should make only a brief visit to France, as he had studied the country so exhaustively when he brung Alice over here to school and went after her (in all, he wuz in France about 48 hours); he sed he could spend but very little time there.
But he sed that he felt that the proper thing to do would be to visit Paris, so he could say on our return that we had come straight from Paris. I d’no why he felt so, but I spoze he did.
But we did, indeed, find Paris a beautiful city.
Martin put up at a first-class tarvern, as he always did. But I hearn him tell Josiah that they cheated him on every side. It madded Martin, for though he always duz things on a large, noble scale, and is willin’ to pay large, yet he don’t want to be cheated—nobody duz.
I found that they spoke English at the tarvern, so my worst fears wuz squenched; for how I wuz goin’ to git along and feed Josiah in a land where bread wuz “pain” and water wuz “oh” wuz more than I could tell. Besides, other things accordin’, what wuz I to do? I wildly questioned my soul.
How could I git my pardner dressed, and warmed, and git him from place to place wuz more than I could tell; but my fears wuz vain, for though jabberin’s wuz on every side on us, and rapid vocifiration in senseless brogue wuz in voge, yet plenty wuz found who spoke our good, honest, Jonesville tongue.
How clean Paris is! how gay and bright the streets look! what pretty wimmen, and what neat, smart-lookin’ men, and pretty children, too, with their smart nurse-maids! elegant carriages, splendid housen, magnificent buildin’s, and arches, and towers, and monuments, and meetin’-housen, and around everything and over everything the gay, bright atmosphere of good feelin’ and politeness.
No wonder folks love to come here, and don’t want to go away. Why, I enjoyed myself first-rate in Paris, and Paris enjoyed my bein’ there, so fur as I know; they acted as if they did, anyway; most always a-smilin’ at me and my pardner in a most agreeable manner.
Yes, they wuz glad we had lanched out and come, I hain’t a doubt on’t.