But it ain’t no use to argy with her, for she b’lieves in parson Miller now like a book, and won’t listen to no sort of reasonin’. She ses it was jest so when old Mr. Noah bilt the ark—no body didn’t b’lieve him till the water was up to ther chins, and then they couldn’t help themselves.
So you see what a fix I’m in—after all my trouble, and jest when I thought I was gwine to be the happiest man in Georgia, a yeath-quake must come jest to upset my calculations. I haint no notion of puttin’ off the weddin’ so long, but I spose I might wait if I can’t do no better. I’m in hopes though, old Miss Stallins will git over her skeer, and come to her senses long afore April. I’ll be sure to let you know. No more from
Your frend, ’til deth,
Jos. Jones.
LETTER VI.
Pineville, February 2nd, 1843.
Dear Sir,
Ever sense I writ my last letter to you, things is gone on jest as strate as a shingle, and the only thing what troubles me is, I’m afraid it’s all too good to last. It’s always ben the way with me ever sense I can remember, whenever I’m the happyest sum blamed thing seems to turn up jest to upset all my calculations, and now, though the day is sot for the weddin’, and the Stallinses is gittin’ everything reddy as fast as they can, I wouldn’t be s’prised much if some ’bominable thing was to happen, some yeath-quake or something, jest to bust it all up agin, though I should hate it monstrous.
Old Miss Stallins red that piece in the Miscellany ’bout the mistake in Parson Miller’s figers, and I do b’lieve she’s as glad about it as if she was shore she would live a whole thousand years more herself. She ses she hain’t got no objections to the weddin’ now, for me and Mary’ll have plenty of time to make a fortin for our children and rais ’em up as they ought to be. She ses she always wondered how Mr. Miller could cipher the thing out so strait, to the very day, without a single mistake, but now he’s made sich a terrible blunder of a whole thousand years, she ses she knows he ain’t no smarter nor other people, if he was raised at the north.