The Works of Oliver Wendell Holmes Vol. 2 - new book

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: a'n't her fault, ?said the landlady, relenting; ? and that aunt of hers, or whatever she is, served him right enough. Why, what did she do? Do ? Why, she took it up in the tongs and dropped it out o' winder. Dropped ? dropped what ? ? I said. Why, the soap, ? said the landlady. It appeared that the Koh-i-noor, to ingratiate himself, had sent an elegant package of perfumed soap, directed to Miss Iris, as a delicate expression of a lively sentiment of admiration, and that, after having met with the unfortunate treatment referred to, it was picked up by Master Benjamin Franklin, who appropriated it, rejoicing, and indulged in most unheard-of and inordinate ablutions in consequence, so that his hands were a frequent subject of maternal congratulation, and he smelt like a civet-cat for weeks after his great acquisition. After watching daily for a time, I think I can see clearly into the relation which is growing up between the little gentleman and the young lady. She shows a tenderness to him that I can't help being interested in. If he was her crippled child, instead of being more than old enough to be her father, she could not treat him more kindly. The landlady's daughter said, the other day, she believed that girl was settin' her cap for the Little Gentleman. Some of them young folks is very artful, ? said her mother, ? and there is them that would merry Lazarus, if he 'd only picked up crumbs enough. I don't think, though, this is one of that sort; she's kinder childlike, ? said the landlady, ? and maybe never had any dolls to play with; for they say her folks was poorModel of all the Virtues and Iris before Ma'am undertook to see to her teachin' and board her and clothe her. I could not help overhearing this conversation. "Board her and clothe her!"?spe...