But so it is; generations and generations are born, live, and die, and the old bells, a-takin' life easy, jest swing on, and ring out jest as sweet and calm and kinder careless at our death as at our birth. The bells sounded dretful melancholy and heart achin' to me; that day they seemed to be soundin' a requiem clear from California to Jonesville for the good Man who had passed away. Jest as we went down the steps we hearn a bystander a-tellin' another one "that Leland Stanford wuz dead." And I wuz fearful rousted up about it; I felt like death to hear on't; and to think that I never had a chance to tell him what I thought on him. I was fearful agitated, and almost by the side of myself; but jest at that juncture--jest as I sez to Josiah, "I shouldn't felt so bad if I had had a chance to tell him what I thought on him, and encourage him in his noble doin's, and warn him in one or two things"--jest at that minit, sez Josiah, "I've lost my bandanny handkerchief;" and he told me, "To wait there for him, that he thought that he remembered where he had dropped it--back in a antick room in the back part of the house." And I thought more'n like as not that wuz the last I should see of him for hours and hours, the crowd wuz so immense and the search wuz so oncertain. But it wuz a good new handkerchief--red and yeller, with a palm-tree pattern on it--and I couldn't discourage him from huntin' for it. And jest as he turned to go back, he sez-- "Why, if there hain't Deacon Rogers of Loontown!" And he advanced onto a good-lookin' man, who wuz a-standin' some distance off. My pardner put out his hand and stepped forward with a glad face till he got to within three feet of him, and then his gladness died out, and he looked meachin'. It wuzn't Rogers. And my pardner jest turned on his tracks, and disappeared round the buildin'. A bystander who wuz a-standin' by spoke up and sez: "That is Governor Markham, of California." "Why'ee!" sez I, "is that so?" and then the thought come to me that the pityin' Providence that had removed Senator Stanford from my encouragement, and warnin', had throwed this man in my way. I see in a minit what would be expected of me both by the nation and by my own Gardeen Angel of Duty. I must encourage him by tellin' him what I thought of the noble doin's of one of his folks, and I must warn him on a few things, and git him to turn round in his tracks. So I advanced, and accosted him. He was a-standin' out a little ways to one side a-lookin' up to the handsome front of the house, and I sez to him, in a voice nearly tremblin' with emotion-- "I have wanted to tell you, Governor Markham, how I feel, and how Josiah feels." He turned round and looked kinder surprised, but good-natered, and I see then that he wuz a real good-lookin' man, and sez he--"Who is Josiah?" And I sez, "My own pardner. I am Josiah Allen's Wife."