The engagement my pardner had spoke on wuz to meet a Chinaman that wuz comin' to see Robert Strong that evenin'. Robert had met him in California, and Josiah seemed dretful anxious to git home so as to dress up for his reception. And I sez, "There is time enough; I shouldn't think it would take you more than two hours to wash your hands and change your neck-tie." "Well," sez he, in a evasive way, "I--I don't want to be scrimped for time." So, as Tommy and I wanted to stop along on the way, he left us and went home. Robert had told us a good deal about this man, Mr. Hi-wal-hum; about his wealth and high official standing, and Josiah had been talkin' more or less about him all day; he looked forrered to it. He had said to me: "Samantha, this man is a Potentate, and it stands us in hand to be polite always to Potentates." Well, I couldn't dispute him nor didn't want to. When we arriv home I thought I would have jest about time to go to my room and wash my face and hands and put on a clean collar and cuffs and change Tommy's clothes. Tommy went on a little ahead of me, and I see him bend down and stretch his little neck forrered and look through the door as if he wuz agast at some sight. And as I come up he put his little fingers on his lips, as I spoze he'd seen me do, and whispered: "Keep still, Grandma; I don't know what Grandpa is doin'." I looked over his shoulder and thought to myself I should think as much, I should think he wouldn't know. There stood Josiah Allen before the glass and of all the sights I ever see his dress went ahead. He had got on a red woolen underskirt and his dressin' gown over it kinder floated back from it, and he had took out of my trunk a switch of hair that Tirzah Ann had put in, thinkin' mebby I would want to dress my head different in foreign countries; I hadn't wore it at all, and it wuz clear in the bottom of my trunk, but he had got at it somehow and had fastened it onto his head, and it hung down his back and ended with a big broad, red ribbin bow; it was one of Tommy's neck-ties. And he'd got all my jewelry--every mite on't--and had fastened it onto him on different places, and all of Tommy's ribbins to tie his collar with, wuz made into bows and pinned onto him, and my C. E. badge and W. C. T. U. bow of white ribbin, and he had got my big palm leaf fan and had tied a big, red bow on't, and he wuz standin' before the glass fannin' himself and cranin' his neck one way and tother to see how he looked and admire himself, I spoze. And anon he tried to put the fan over his right ear. The idee! a palm leaf fan that wouldn't shet. And he spoke out to himself: "No, I can't do that, but I can be fannin' myself, all the time fannin' and bowin'." And then he stepped forrerd towards the glass and made a bow so low that his switch flopped over and ketched on the rocker of a chair and he couldn't move either way without jerkin' his braid off.