CHAPTER VII.
Christopher Columbus Allen got along splendid with his railroad business, and by the time the rest of us wuz ready for the World's Fair, he wuz.
We didn't have so many preparations to make as we would in other circumstances, for Ury and Philury wuz goin' to move right into our house, and do for it jest as well as we would do for ourselves.
They had done this durin' other towers that we had gone off on, and never had we found our confidence misplaced, or so much as a towel or a dish-cloth missin'.
We have always done well by them while they wuz workin' for us by the week or on shares, and they have always jest turned right round and done well by us.
Thomas Jefferson and Maggie went with us.

Tirzah Ann and Whitfield wuzn't quite ready to go when we did, but they wuz a-comin' later, when Tirzah Ann had got all her preperations made--her own dresses done, and Whitfield's night-shirts embroidered, and her stockin's knit.
I love Tirzah Ann.

But I can't help seein' that she duz lots of things that hain't neccessary.
Now it wuzn't neccessary for her to have eleven new dresses made a purpose to go to the World's Fair, and three white aprons all worked off round the bibs and pockets.
Good land! what would she want of aprons there in that crowd?
And she no need to had six new complete suits of under-clothes made, all trimmed off elaborate with tattin' and home-made edgin' before she went.

And it wuzn't neccessary for her to knit two pairs of open-work stockin's with fine spool thread.
I sez to her, "Tirzah Ann, why don't you buy your stockin's?
You can git good ones for twenty cents.

And," sez I, "these will take you weeks and weeks to knit, besides bein' expensive in thread." But she said "she couldn't find such nice ones to the store--she couldn't find shell-work." "Then," sez I, "I shall go without shell-work." But she said, "They wuz dretful ornamental to the foot, specially to the instep, and she shouldn't want to go without 'em." "But," sez I, "who is a-goin' to see your instep?
You hain't a-goin' round in that crowd with slips on, be you ?" "No," she said, "she didn't spoze she should, but she should feel better to know that she had on nice stockin's, if there didn't anybody see 'em." And I thought to myself that I should ruther be upheld by my principles than the consciousness of shell-work stockin's.