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〃I should have broken out;〃 cried Euphemia。 〃I would never have
staid an hour in that place; after I found out what it was;
especially on a bridal trip。〃
〃If we'd done that;〃 said Pomona; 〃they'd have got men after us;
an' then everybody would have thought we was real crazy。 We made
up our minds to wait for the doctor's letter; but it wasn't much
fun。 An' I didn't tell no romantic stories to fill up the time。
We sat down an' behaved like the commonest kind o' people。 You
never saw anybody sicker of romantics than I was when I thought of
them two loons that called themselves Mrs。 Andrew Jackson and
General Tom Thumb。 I dropped Miguel altogether; an' he dropped
Jiguel; which was a relief to me; an' I took strong to Jonas; even
callin' him Jone; which I consider a good deal uglier an' commoner
even than Jonas。 He didn't like this much; but said that if it
would help me out of the Miguel; he didn't care。
〃Well; on the mornin' of the next day I went into the little front
room that they called the office; to see if there was a letter for
us yet; an' there wasn't nobody there to ask。 But I saw a pile of
letters under a weight on the table; an' I jus' looked at these to
see if one of 'em was for us; an' if there wasn't the very letter
Jone had written to the doctor! They'd never sent it! I rushes
back to Jone an' tells him; an' he jus' set an' looked at me
without sayin' a word。 I didn't wonder he couldn't speak。
〃'I'll go an' let them people know what I think of 'em;' says I。
〃'Don't do that;' said Jone; catchin' me by the sleeve。 'It wont
do no good。 Leave the letter there; an' don't say nothin' about
it。 We'll stay here till afternoon quite quiet; an' then we'll go
away。 That garden wall isn't high。'
〃'An' how about the trunk?' says I。
〃'Oh; we'll take a few things in our pockets; an' lock up the
trunk; an' ask the doctor to send for it when we get to the city。'
〃'All right;' says I。 An' we went to work to get ready to leave。
〃About five o'clock in the afternoon; when it was a nice time to
take a walk under the trees; we meandered quietly down to a corner
of the back wall; where Jone thought it would be rather convenient
to get over。 He hunted up a short piece of board which he leaned
up ag'in the wall; an' then he put his foot on the top of that an'
got hold of the top of the wall an' climbed up; as easy as nuthin'。
Then he reached down to help me step onto the board。 But jus' as
he was agoin' to take me by the hand: 'Hello!' says he。 'Look a…
there!' An' I turned round an' looked; an' if there wasn't Mrs。
Andrew Jackson an' General Tom Thumb a…walkin' down the path。
〃'What shall we do?' says I。
〃'Come along;' says he。 'We aint a…goin' to stop for them。 Get
up; all the same。'
〃I tried to get up as he said; but it wasn't so easy for me on
account of my not bein' such a high stepper as Jone; an' I was a
good while a…gettin' a good footin' on the board。
〃Mrs。 Jackson an' the General; they came right up to us an' set
down on a bench which was fastened between two trees near the wall。
An' there they set; a…lookin' steady at us with their four little
eyes; like four empty thimbles。
〃'You appear to be goin' away;' says Mrs。 Jackson。
〃'Yes;' says Jone from the top of the wall。 We're a…goin' to take
a slight stroll outside; this salu…brious evenin'。'
〃'Do you think;' says she; 'that the United States Bank would be
open this time of day?'
〃'Oh no;' says Jone; 'the banks all close at three o'clock。 It's a
good deal after that now。'
〃'But if I told the officers who I was; wouldn't that make a
difference?' says she。 'Wouldn't they go down an' open the bank?'
〃'Not much;' says Jone; givin' a pull which brought me right up to
the top o' the wall an' almost clean down the other side; with one
jerk。 'I never knowed no officers that would do that。 But;' says
he; a kind o' shuttin' his eyes so that she shouldn't see he was
lyin'; 'we'll talk about that when we come back。'
〃'If you see that team of little oxen;' says the big man; 'send 'em
'round to the front gate。'
〃'All right;' says Jone; an' he let me down the outside of the wall
as if I had been a bag o' horse…feed。
〃'But if the bank isn't open you can't pay for it when it does
come;' we heard the old lady a…sayin' as we hurried off。
〃We didn't lose no time agoin' down to that station; an' it's lucky
we didn't; for a train for the city was comin' jus' as we got
there; an' we jumped aboard without havin' no time to buy tickets。
There wasn't many people in our car; an we got a seat together。
〃'Now then;' says Jone; as the cars went abuzzin' along; 'I feel as
if I was really on a bridal…trip; which I mus' say I didn't at that
there asylum。'
〃An' then I said: 'I should think not;' an' we both bust out a…
laughin'; as well we might; feelin' sich a change of surroundin's。
〃'Do you think;' says somebody behind us; when we'd got through
laughin'; 'that if I was to send a boy up to the cashier he would
either come down or send me the key of the bank?'
〃We both turned aroun' as quick as lightnin'; an' if there wasn't
them two lunertics in the seat behind us!
〃It nearly took our breaths away to see them settin' there; staring
at us with their thimble eyes; an' a…wearin' their little straw
hats; both alike。
〃'How on the livin' earth did you two got here?' says I; as soon as
I could speak。
〃'Oh; we come by the same way you comeby the tem…per…ary stairs;'
says Mrs。 Jackson。 'We thought if it was too late to draw any
money to…night; it might be well to be on hand bright an' early in
the mornin'。 An' so we follered you two; as close as we could;
because we knew you could take us right to the very bank doors; an'
we didn't know the way ourselves; not never havin' had no occasion
to attend to nothin' of this kind before。'
〃Jone an' I looked at each other; but we didn't speak for a minute。
〃'Then;' says I; 'here's a pretty kittle o' fish。'
〃'I should kinder say so;' says Jone。 'We've got these here two
lunertics on our hands; sure enough; for there ain't no train back
to Pokus tonight; an' I wouldn't go back with 'em if there was。 We
must keep an eye on 'em till we can see the doctor to…morrow。'
〃'I suppose we must;' said I; 'but this don't seem as much like a
bridal…trip as it did a while ago。'
〃'You're right there;' says Jone。
〃When the conductor came along we had to pay the fare of them two
lunertics; besides our own; for neither of 'em had a cent about
'em。 When we got to town we went to a smallish hotel; near the
ferry; where Jone knowed the man who kep' it; who wouldn't bother
about none of us havin' a scrap of baggage; knowin' he'd get his
money all the same; out of either Jone or his father。 The General
an' his sister looked a kind o' funny in their little straw hats
an' green carpet…slippers; an' the clerk didn't know whether he
hadn't forgot how to read writin' when the big man put down the
names of General Tom Thumb and Mrs。 ex…President Andrew Jackson;
which he wasn't ex…President anyway; bein' dead; but Jone he
whispered they was travelin' under nommys dess plummys (I told him
to say tha