And I knowed too that the ordinary food of ordinary mortals partook of under the full harvest moon of domestic comfort and contentment wuz not to be despised, though fur different. And the light fur different from the glow and the glamour that wropped them two together and all the rest of the world away from ’em. But I’m eppisodin’ too much, and to resoom forward. As I said, we had a happy growin’ time at the Reunion, Josiah bein’ in fine feather to see the relation on his side presentin’ such a noble appearance. And like a good wife I sympathized with him in his pride and happiness, though I told him they didn’t present any better appearance than the same number of Smiths would. And their cookin’, though excellent, wuz no better than the Smiths could cook if they sot out to. He bein’ so good natered didn’t dispute me outright, but said he thought the Allens made better nut-cakes than the Smiths. But they don’t, no such thing. In fact I think the Smith nut-cakes are lighter and have a more artistic twist to ’em and don’t devour so much fat a-fryin’. But I’d hate to set Josiah down to any better vittles. I d’no as I would dast let him loose at the table at a Smith reunion, for he eat fur too much as it wuz. I had to give him five pepsin lozengers and some pepper tea. And then I looked out all night for night mairs to ride on his chist. But he come through it alive though with considerable pain. We stayed two or three days longer with Lorinda, and then she and Hiram went part way with us as we visited our way home. We’ve got relations livin’ all along the river that we owed visits to. And we went to see a number of ’em and enjoyed our four selves first rate. These things all took place more than a year ago and another man sets in the high chair, before which I laid Serepta’s errents, a man not so hefty mebby weighed by common steelyards, but one of noble weight judged by mental and moral scales. I d’no whether I’d had any better luck if I’d presented Serepta’s errents to him. Sometimes when I look in the kind eyes of his picter, and read his noble and eloquent words that I believe come from his very soul, I think mebby I’d been more lucky if he’d sot in the chair that day. But then I d’no, there are so many influences and hendrances planted like thorns in the cushion of that chair that a man, no matter how earnest he strives to do jest right, can’t help bein’ pricked by ’em and held back. And I know he could never done them errents in the time she sot, but I’m in hopes he’ll throw his powerful influence jest as fur as he can on the side of right, and justice to all the citizens of the U.S., wimmen as well as men. ’Tennyrate, he has showed more heroism now than many soldiers who risk life on the battle field. For the worst foe to fight and conquer is Ridicule; and he and others in high places have attackted Fashion so entrenched in the solid armour of Habit that most public men wouldn’t have dasted to take arms agin it.