It will encourage her.
"And how is your Ma ?" sez I; and then I kinder backed out polite from that subject, and sez I, "I dare presoom to say that she has her good qualities; and mebby, like all the rest of the world, she has her drawbacks." And then a thought come onto me that made me blush with shame and mortification, and sez I, "I hain't said a word about your husband." Sez I, "I have said that I would pay particular attention to that man if I come in sight on him, and here I be, jest like the rest of America, not payin' him the attention that I ort, and leavin' him a-standin' up behind you, as usual.
"How is Antoine ?" sez I.
She said that "He was very well." "Wall," sez I, "I am glad on't; from everything that America and I can learn of him he is a good feller--a manly, good-appearin', good-actin' young man.
"And America and I wish you both dretful well--you and Spain.

We think dretful well of all of you; and now," sez I, with some stateliness, "I am a-goin' to withdraw myself, and not tire you out any more." And so we shook hands cordial, and said good-bye, and I proceeded to withdraw myself, and I wuz jest a-backin' off, as I make a practice of doin' in my interviews with Royalty, when Duty gin me a sharp hunch in my left side, and I had to lock arms with her, and approach the Infanty agin on a delicate subject.
I hated to, but I had to.
Sez I, "Ulaley, I want you to forgive me for it if you feel hurt, but there is one subject that I feel as if I want to tackle you on." Sez I, "You've acted like a perfect lady, and a sampler of all womanly and royal graces, ever sence you come over here a-visitin', good enough to frame," sez I, "and hang up in our heart of hearts.
"And there hain't but one fault that I have got to find with you, and I want to tell you plain and serious, jest as I'd love to have your folks tell Tirzah Ann if she should go over to Spain to represent Jonesville-- "I want to say, jest as kind as I can say, that if I wuz in your place I wouldn't smoke so much.
"I want to tell you that if my girl, Tirzah Ann, should ever go to Spain under the circumstances I speak on, and should light up her pipe in the Escurial, I should want you to put it out for her.
"I hate to have you smoke, Ulaley--I hate to like a dog.

Of course," sez I, in reasonable axents, "if you wanted to smoke a little mullen or catnip for the tizik, I wouldn't mind it; but cigaretts are dretful onhealthy, and I'm afraid that they will undermind your constitution.
And I think too much on you, Ulaley, to want you underminded." [Illustration: "I hate to have you smoke, Ulaley--I hate to like a dog."] She smiled, and said sunthin' about its bein' the custom of her country.
And I looked real pleasant at her, but firm, and sez I, "Customs has to be gone aginst by true Reformers, and Prophets, Ulaley." Sez I, "Four hundred years ago it wuzn't the custom of the countries to discover new worlds.
"But your illustrious countryman branched out and stemmed the tide of popular disfavor, and found a grand New Land.
"New Worlds lay before all on us, Ulaley--we can sail by 'em on the winds of popular favor and old custom, or we can stem the tide and row aginst the stream, and, 'Go in and take the country.' "You don't know what good lays in your power to do, Ulaley, you sweet young creeter you, and now God bless you, and good-bye." There wuz a tear standin' in every one of my eyes as I said it, for a hull tide of emotions from four hundred years past to the present swashed up aginst me as I grasped holt of her pretty hand, and we parted.
She looked real tender-hearted and good at me, as if she liked me, and as if her heart leaned up aginst my heart real clost.
(What duz Ward McAllister and his 'postles know of such rapt moments ?) Her escort driv up in two carriages jest then, and I left her, and as I went down the steps on the other side I heard her talkin' volubly to 'em--a-describin' the great seen that had took place between us, I dare say.
They wuz pleased with it, I could see they wuz fairly a-laughin', they wuz so edified and highly tickled.

Yes, Spain realizes it, my makin' so much on't.
Wall, I didn't stay much longer, for weariness, and also the cords of affection, wuz a-drawin' me back to Miss Planks.
Wall, the days and weeks wuz a-wearin' away, and Josiah and I wuz a-enjoyin' ourselves first rate.
The children, and Isabelle, and Krit wuz a-havin' jest as good a time, too, as four smart young folks can have.
Their minds wuz naterally, all four on 'em, as bright as a new dollar, and they had been enriched and disciplined by culture and education, so there wuz good soil indeed for the marvellous seed sowed here to spring up in a bountiful harvest.
They, all four on 'em, enjoyed more than anything else the Congresses, and meetin's of the different societies of the world, for noble, and humane, and philanthropic interests.
And as for me, if I wuz to be made to tell at the pint of the sword what I thought wuz the very best and most glorious product of the World's Columbian Fair, I would say I thought it wuz these orations, and debates, by the brightest men and wimmen on earth, congregated at Columbuses doin's.
They wuz the wreaths of the very finest, sweetest blossoms that crowned Uncle Sam's old brow this glorious summer of 1893.
The most advanced thought on religion, art, science, philanthropy, and every branch of these noble and riz-up subjects wuz listened to there by my own rapt and orstruck ears.

And not only the good and eloquent of my own Christian race, but Moslem, Buddhist, and Hindoo.