Wall, that program of Josiah Allen’s wuz carried out to the very letter. When Thomas J. and Maggie come back (the Senator didn’t come, he wuz delayed, and sent a telegram he should be there in a week or two), we sot off, a preparin’ to come back the next day if John Richard wuz better, but a layin’ out to stay several days if necessary. We took clothes and things, and I a not forgettin’, you may be sure, a bottle full of my far-famed spignut syrup. Maggie see that we had a early dinner but a good one, and we sot sail about one o’clock—Snow a ridin’ with us as fur as we dasted to take her, and a walkin’ back agin, watched by her Ma from the gate. Thomas J. and Maggie told us to bring John Richard right back with us if he wuz well enough to come, and they would help take care of him. Wall, we got to the picturesque little place called Howletts Bridge about four o’clock, and imegiatly made inquiries for the relation on his side, and found out where he wuz stayin’. He wuz boardin’ with a likely Methodist Episcopal couple, elderly, and poor but well-principled. And indeed we found him sick enough. Miss Elderkin—that wuz the folkses name he wuz a boardin’ with, good creeters as I ever see, if they wuz Southerners, and aristocratic too, brung down by loss of property and etc.—she told me that Cousin John Richard had been comin’ down with this lung difficulty for years—overwork, and hard fare, and neglect of his own comfort makin’ his sickness harder and more difficult to manage. Sez she, “He is one of the saints on earth, if there ever was one.” And her husband said the same thing, which I felt that I could indeed depend upon, for as a general thing men don’t get so diffuse a praisin’ up each other, and callin’ each other angels and saints, etc., and men hain’t drawed away by their pities and their sympathies so easy as wimmen be, nor drawed so fur. Wall, Mr. Elderkin put our pony in the barn, and she made us comfortable with a cup of tea and some toast with a poached egg on top of it. And then we went in to see the patient. He wuz layin’ in a front room, ruther bare-lookin’, for the Elderkins wuz poor enough so fur as this world’s goods go, but rich in the spirit. And the bare floor, and whitewashed walls, and green paper curtains looked anything but luxurious, but everything wuz clean. And on a clean, poor bed lay the relation on his side. He looked wan—wanner fur than I expected to see him look, though I wuz prepared for wanness. His cheeks wuz fell in, and his eyes wuz holler, but bright still with that glowin’ fire that always seemed to be built up in ’em. But the light of that fire seemed to be a burnin’ down pretty low now. And he looked up and see us and smiled. It wuz the smile of a homesick child fur away to school, when he sees his own folks a comin’ towards him in the school-room.