And bein' wunk at by me, Josiah Allen advanced and held out his hand and said, "how de do," and "good-bye," at the same time, and I sez to kinder smooth it over, "In this world, Mr. Francis, it is hail and farewell time and agin." And then we bowed ourselves out, I'd told Josiah to be sure and not turn his back. And we got along first-rate, only onfortinat'ly jest as we got to the door we backed into the Chinese Minister and his party who wuz jest comin' in. But then, as I told Josiah as we went down the steps when he wuz blamin' me for this _contrary temps_, as men always will blame their pardners for most everything, I sez: "China is used to bein' backed into by foreigners, I guess they'll overlook it." I didn't bandy words with Josiah, I knowed I'd done my duty and that kep' me serene. When you're follerin' a star you don't mind the bite of a nat. The last week of our stay in St. Louis Aunt Trypheny on leavin' the Fair ground one day wuz struck by the twenty-mule team that perambulates the ground, was knocked down and carried to an emergency hospital on the Fair ground. The head doctor there wuz Miss Huff's nephew, and she got a little room for her till she could be moved with safety. The day before we went home Josiah went down into the city to do a few errents for the bretheren, Blandina had gone with Aspire Todd to visit a sister of hisen (they wuz engaged), and I had been to work gittin' ready to leave the next mornin', and Molly and I wuz goin' in the afternoon to take a last look at the Fair, and she come into my room as I wuz gittin' my bunnet on with her hands full of the most beautiful flowers she could get, and proposed that we should go and see Aunt Pheeny and cheer her up a little. Sweet creeter, I hadn't thought on't. The hospital wuz quite a distance off from where we had laid out to go, and I knowed I would be tired as a dog anyway. But not wantin' to be behind hand in good works I said I would go with her, and I selected some of the nicest of the fruit I had bought to take home to the grandchildren, and put in my silk bag for her, and put on my mantilly and told her I wuz ready. And then that dear child proposed we should take Dorothy with us, knowin' Aunt Trypheny would ruther see her than any Emperor or Zar, and I gin my consent to that, and we sot off, Dotie happy as a Queen at goin' with us.