"'Thinkin' as how this very aged world joked

"'In callin' only some men kings

"'While I sat there a-blowin' rings.'"

He paused to kindle a sliver of wood at the stove. "In these parlous times," he spoke as though to himself,"one must economize. They are taking a quarter of anounce out of each five cents worth of chewing, I am told;so doubtless each box must be five or six matches shortof full count. Even these papers seem skinnyner than ofyore and they will only sell one book to a customer atthat. Indeed Sherman was right."