Aunt was dreadf ' l pleased ; but ` mazin ' pertickler as tew who was goin ' tew stan ' in her shoes , when she was fetched up ag ` inst the etarnal boom . There was a sight er likely womenfolks raound taown ; but aunt she set her foot daown that Mis Flint must be smart , pious , an ' good-natered ; harnsome she did n't say nothin ' abaout , bein ' the humliest woman in the State er Maine . I hed my own calk ` lations on that p ` int , an ' went sparkin ' two or three er the pootiest gals , all that winter . I war n't in no hurry , fer merryin ' is an awful resky bizness ; an ' I wa n't goan to be took in by nobuddy . Some haouw I could n't make up my mind which I 'd hev , and kept dodgin ' , all ready to slew raound , an ' hitch on tew ary one that seemed likeliest . ` Long in March , aunt , she ketched cold , took tew her bed , got wuss , an ' told me tew hurry up , fer nary cent should I hev , ef I war n't safely merried ` fore she stepped out . I thought that was ruther craoudin ' a feller ; but I see she was goan sure , an ' I 'd got inter a way er considerin ' the cash mine , so that it come hard to hear abaout givin ' on ' t up . Off I went that evenin ' an ' asked Almiry Nash ef she 'd hev me . No , she would n't ; I 'd shilly-shallyed so long , she 'd got tired er waitin ' and took tew keepin ' company with a doctor daown ter Banggore , where she 'd ben visitin ' a spell . I did n't find that as hard a nub to swaller , as I 'd a thought I would , though Almiry was the richest , pootiest , and good-naterest of the lot . Aunt larfed waal , an ' told me tew try ag ` in ; so a couple er nights arfter , I spruced up , an ' went over to Car ` line Miles 's ; she was as smart as old cheese , an ' waal off in tew the barg ` in . I was just as sure she 'd hev me , as I be that I 'm gittin ' the rewmatiz a settin ' in this ma ` sh . But that minx , Almiry , hed ben and let on abaout her own sarsy way er servin ' on me , an ' Car ` line jest up an ' said she war n't goan to hev annybuddy 's leavin 's ; so daown I come ag ` in . `` Things was gettin ' desper ' t by that time ; fer aunt was failin ' rapid , an ' the story hed leaked aout some way , so the hull taown was gigglin ' over it . I thought I 'd better quit them parts ; but aunt she showed me her will all done complete , ` sceptin the fust name er the legatee . ` There , ' sez she , ` it all depends on yeou , whether that place is took by Hiram or Josiah . It 's easy done , an ' so it 's goan tew stan till the last minit . ' That riled me consid ` able , an ' I streaked off tew May Jane Simlin 's . She wa n't very waal off , nor extra harnsome , but she was pious the worst kind , an ' dreadf ' l clever to them she fancied . But I was daown on my luck ag ` in ; fer at the fust word I spoke of merryin ' , she showed me the door , an ' give me to understan ' that she could n't think er hevin ' a man that war n't a church-member , that had n't experienced religion , or even ben struck with conviction , an ' all the rest o n't .
Ef anny one hed a wanted XXXXX hev seen a walkin ' hornet 's nest , they could hev done it cheap that night , as I went hum .
Miles ary barg church-member ef er keepin servin swaller tew