Alice had lots of school friends here, and wuz out a good deal a-seein’ ’em, and Martin and Al Faizi wuz each on ’em a-pursuin’ their own favorite fantoms—as different as any two fantoms ever wuz, from first to last.
But Josiah and me shacked round quite a good deal, Adrian a-goin’ with us quite considerable. About the first thing that strikes you as you venter out-doors is the wideness and beauty of the streets, with their double row of trees and their elegant housen, lookin’ so sort o’ finished—not put in anyhow, like a palace and a hovel, but all kinder of the same style and make, handsome as picters, and the sidewalk is as wide as from our house to the barn, and I d’no but wider. They are twice as wide as the main street in Zoar, some on ’em, where they have the most gay and beautiful stores of different kinds; and, if you’ll believe it, they have tables set out-doors in the most handsome style, and folks a-eatin’ at ’em, all dressed up and a-jabberin’ away, and a-laughin’, and havin’ a first-rate time.
Josiah wuz dretful impressed by it all.
Sez he, as if he wuz a-usin’ real big words, sez he—
“France is impressive and edifyin’ in many ways. What improvements we can witness and inaugerate to home! One thing I shall immegiately proceed to arrange; henceforth, Samantha, we shall always partake of our food out by the side of the road.”
I looked real cold at the idee, and he went on—
Josiah, “cultered and travelled,” schemes for Jonesvillian out-door dinner parties, à la Paris, and how Samantha foresees the result.
“Jest think of the gayety, the life it will bring to Jonesville to have all the neighbors a-eatin’ out by the highway, for of course they will foller the example of those who are cultered and travelled; imagine,” sez he, a-wavin’ his hand and enjoyin’ himself first-rate in futer retrospects ahead on him—
“Imagine Deacon Henzy and Drusilly, and she that wuz Submit Tewksbury and her husband, Simon Slimpsey and Betsy, all on ’em a-eatin’ out-doors, a-minglin’ their voices with ourn as we set to our table; I with my dressin’-gown on, and you, if you wanted to, a-playin’ on a accordeon in a gay, light manner befittin’ the happy occasion.”