the dollar. A bystander said to me: "Take it! he is rich!" I quietly
assured him that I never accepted money without rendering an honest
equivalent, and as I left I heard the ejaculation: "She's plucky, isn't
she." On entering a livery stable on the opposite side of the street, a
gentleman took the proffered book and opened to a page containing the name
of Aunt Nancy Lee. With an exclamation of surprise he said: "I have an
aunt of that name." This led to further conversation and a better
acquaintance, the person really proving to be his aunt. While we were
talking, the four gentlemen from the office of the County Clerk came in,
and I being introduced in a new light they each bought a book, and the
clerk made an ample apology for his abruptness, which I readily accepted
as an "amende honorable."

We went to Santa Barbara by steamer and greatly enjoyed the sail. Finding
no pier upon our arrival, we had to descend an almost perpendicular ladder
to a small boat. In this apparently perilous process, the boatmen were
actively assisted by Captain Johnson, whose mellow toned voice softened
and cheered the transit. In the descent, a woman dropped her baby into
the water, and, although it was quickly rescued by the seamen, her
continued screams even after its safe delivery quite intimidated me, but
with the usual sure-footedness of the blind, I went down with so much ease
that I was greatly complimented by the astonished captain. Our skiff-ride
to shore was a pleasant episode, and the romance was much heightened by
the floating sea plants around us, which could be easily touched with our
hands. There were no good hotels in Santa Barbara, but we were comfortably
accommodated in a private family. The climate is finer there than in any
locality in the State, the thermometer most of the time standing at
seventy degrees, hence it is so greatly sought by consumptives.

It was to me a delightful pastime to spend an occasional hour with the