This is the plain truth; and I will make oath to it, and so will Josiah. And whether Cicely dremp it, or whether she didn't; whether it wus jest a coincidin' coincidence, her havin' these feelin's at exactly the time her aunt died, or not,--I don't know any more than you do. I jest put down the facts, and you can draw your own inferences from 'em, and draw 'em jest as fur as you want to, and as many of 'em. [Illustration: THOMAS JEFFERSON BRINGING CICELY'S TELEGRAM.] But that night, way along in the night, as I lay awake a musin' on it, and a wonderin',--for I say plain that my specks hain't strong enough to see through the mysteries that wrap us round on every side,--I s'posed my companion wus asleep; but he spoke out sudden like, and decided, as if I had been a disputin' of him,-- “Yes, most probable she dremp it.” “Wall,” says I, “I hain't disputed you.” “Hain't you a goin' to?” says he. “No,” says I. And that seemed to quiet him down, and he went to sleep. And I give up, that most probable she did, or didn't, one of the two. [Illustration: “MOST PROBABLE SHE DREMP IT.”] But anyway, from that night, she didn't worry one bit about the boy. She would talk to him sights about his bein' a good boy, but she would act and talk as if she was _sure_ he would. She would look at him, not with the old, pitiful, agonized look, but with a sweet and happy light in her eyes. And I guessed that she thought that the laws would be changed before the boy was of age. I thought that she felt real encouraged to think the march of civilization was a marchin' on, pretty slow but sure, and, before the boy got old enough to go out into a world full of temptations, there would be wiser laws, purer influences, to help the boy to be a good and noble man, which is about the best thing we know of, here below. No, she never worried one worry about him after that day, not a single worry. But she made her will, and it was fixed lawful too. She wanted Paul to stay with us till he was old enough to send off to school and college. And she wanted her property and Paul's too, if he should die before he was of age, should be used to found a school, and a home for the children of drunkards. A good school and a Christian home, to teach them and help them to be good, and good citizens. Josiah Allen and Thomas J. and I was appinted to see to it, appinted by law. It was to be right in them buildings that wus used now for dram-shops: them very housen was to be used to send out good influences and spirits into the world instead of the vile, murderous, brutal spirits, they wus sendin' out now. And wuzn't it sort o' pitiful to think on, that Cicely had to _die_ before her property could be used as she wanted it to be,--could be used to send out blessings into the world, instead of 'cursings and wickedness, as it was now? It was pitiful to look on it with the eye of a woman; but I kep' still, and tried to look on it with the eye of the United States, and held firm.