Gregory and every one else waited quite a while for her to begin.
"Ye had better put de number ob de year fus," suggested Uncle Braddock.
"Well, ye kin put dat," said Aunt Matilda, "while I'm a-workin' out de letter in my mind." There now arose a discussion as to what was the "number of the year." Aunt Judy knew that the "war" was somewhere along in "sixty," and thought it must certainly be seventy or eighty by this time; while Uncle Braddock, who was accustomed to look back a long way, was sure it was "nigh on to a hun'red." Dick Ford, however, although he was not a writer, could read, and had quite a fancy for spelling out a newspaper, and he asserted that the year was eighteen hundred and seventy, and so it was put down "180070," much to the disgust of Uncle Braddock, who did not believe it was so much.
"Yer ought to say ef it's before Christ or after Christ," said Aunt Judy.

"Old Mah'sr Truly Mathers 'splained dat to me, 'bout years." "Well, then," said Gregory, ready with his pencil, "which is it ?" Dick Ford happened to know a little on the subject, and so he told Gregory how he should put down "B.

C." for "before Christ," and "A.

C." for "after Christ," and that "A.

C." was right for this year.
This was set down in Gregory's most careful lettering.
"Dat dar hind letter's got the stumic-ache," said John William Webster, putting his long finger, black on top and yellow underneath, on the C, which was rather doubled up.
Nobody thought of the month or the day, and so the letter was considered dated.
"Now, den," said Gregory, "who's it to ?" "Jist never you mind who's it to," answered Aunt Matilda.