Around the World with Josiah Allen's Wife. Marietta Holley

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СКАЧАТЬ neighbors put upon him because I went off and left him. Give my love to Waitstill Webb and Elder White, give it to ’em simeltaneous and together, tell ’em how much I think on ’em both for the good they’re doin’. Tell Arvilly I often think of her and what she has went through and pity her. Give a hen to the widder Gowdey 32 for Christmas. Let Josiah carry it, or no, I guess Ury had better, I am away and folks might talk. The ketch on the outside suller door had better be fixed so it can’t blow open. Josiah’s thickest socks are in the under draw, and the pieces to mend his overhalls in a calico bag behind the clothespress door. Guard that man like the apples in your eyes, Philury, and you’ll be glad bime by. So no more. To be continude.”

      Agin I laid down and tried to sleep; in vain, my thoughts, my heart wuz in Jonesville, so I riz up agin as fur as I could and took my handkerchief pin offen the curtain where I had pinned it and looked at it long and sadly. I hadn’t took any picture of Josiah with me, I hadn’t but one and wuz afraid I should lose it. He hain’t been willin’ to be took sence he wuz bald, and I knew that his picture wuz engraved on my heart in deeper lines than any camera or kodak could do it. But I had a handkerchief pin that looked like him, I bought it to the World’s Fair, it wuz took of Columbus. You know Columbus wuz a changeable lookin’ critter in his pictures, if he looked like all on ’em he must have been fitty, and Miss Columbus must have had a hard time to git along with him. This looked like Josiah, only with more hair, but I held my thumb over the top, and I could almost hear Josiah speak. I might have had a lock of his hair to wep’ over, but my devoted love kep’ me from takin’ it; I knew that he couldn’t afford to spare a hair with winter comin’ on. But I felt that I must compose myself, for my restless moves had waked Tommy up. The sullen roar of the wheels underneath me kep’ kinder hunchin’ me up every little while if I forgot myself for a minute, twittin’ me that my pardner had let me go away from him; I almost thought I heard once or twice the echo, Grass Widder! soundin’ out under the crunchin’ roar and rattle of the wheels, but then I turned right over on my shelf and sez in my agony of sperit: Not that––not grass.

      And Tommy called down, “What say, grandma?” And 33 I reached up and took holt of his soft, warm little hand and sez: “Go to sleep, Tommy, grandma is here.”

      “You said sunthin’ about grass, grandma.”

      And I sez, “How green the grass is in the spring, Tommy, under the orchard trees and in the door-yard. How pretty the sun shines on it and the moonlight, and grandpa is there, Tommy, and Peace and Rest and Happiness, and my heart is there, too, Tommy,” and I most sobbed the last words.

      And Tommy sez, “Hain’t your heart here too, grandma? You act as if you wuz ’fraid. You said when I prayed jest now that God would watch over us.”

      “And he will, Tommy, he will take care of us and of all them I love.” And leanin’ my weary and mournful sperit on that thought, and leanin’ hard, I finally dropped off into the arms of Morphine.

      34

CHAPTER III

       Table of Contents

      Well, we reached Chicago with no further coincidence and put up to a big hotel kep’ by Mr. and Miss Parmer. It seems that besides all the money I had been provided with, Thomas J. had gin a lot of money to Miss Meechim to use for me if she see me try to stent myself any, and he had gin particular orders that we should go to the same hotels they did and fare jest as well, so they wanted to go to the tarven kep’ by Mr. Parmerses folks, and we did.

      I felt real kinder mortified to think that I didn’t pay no attention to Mr. and Miss Parmer; I didn’t see ’em at all whilst I wuz there. But I spoze she wuz busy helpin’ her hired girls, it must take a sight of work to cook for such a raft of folks, and it took the most of his time to provide.

      Well, we all took a long ride round Chicago; Miss Meechim wanted to see the most she could in the shortest time. So we driv through Lincoln Park, so beautiful as to be even worthy of its name, and one or two other beautiful parks and boolevards and Lake Shore drives. And we went at my request to see the Woman’s Temperance Building; I had got considerable tired by that time, and, oh, how a woman’s tired heart longs for the only true rest, the heart rest of love. As we went up the beautiful, open-work alleviator, I felt, oh, that this thing was swinging me off to Jonesville, acrost the waste of sea and land. But immegiately the thought come “Duty’s apron-strings,” and I wuz calm agin.

      But all the time I wuz there talkin’ to them noble wimmen, dear to me because they’re tacklin’ the most needed work under the heavens, wagin’ the most holy war, and 35 tacklin’ it without any help as you may say from Uncle Sam, good-natered, shiftless old creeter, well meanin’, I believe, but jest led in blinders up and down the earth by the Whiskey Power that controls State and Church to-day, and they may dispute it if they want to, but it is true as the book of Job, and fuller of biles and all other impurities and tribulations than Job ever wuz, and heaven only knows how it is goin’ to end.

      But to resoom backwards. Lofty and inspirin’ wuz the talks I had with the noble ones whose names are on the list of temperance here and the Lamb’s Book of Life. How our hearts burnt within us, and how the “blest tie that binds” seemed to link us clost together; when, alas! in my soarinest moments, as I looked off with my mind’s eye onto a dark world beginnin’ to be belted and lightened by the White Ribbon, my heart fell almost below my belt ribbin’ as I thought of one who had talked light about my W. T. C. U. doin’s, but wuz at heart a believer and a abstainer and a member of the Jonesville Sons of Temperance.

      A little later we stood and looked on one of the great grain elevators, histin’ up in its strong grip hull fields of wheat and corn at a time. Ah! among all the wonderin’ and awe-struck admiration of them about me, how my mind soared off on the dear bald head afar, he who had so often sowed the spring and reaped the autumn ears on the hills and dales of Jonesville, sweet land! dear one! when should I see thee again?

      And as we walked through one of the enormous stock yards, oh! how the bellerin’ of them cattle confined there put me in mind of the choice of my youth and joy of my middle age. Wuz he too bellerin’ at that moment, shet up as he wuz by environin’ circumstances from her he worshipped.

      And so it went on, sad things put me in mind of him and joyful things, all, all speakin’ of him, and how, how wuz I to brook the separation? But I will cease to harrow the 36 reader’s tender bosom. Dry your tears, reader, I will proceed onwards.

      The next day we sot off for California, via Salt Lake and Denver.

      Jest as we left the tarven at Chicago our mail wuz put in our hands, forwarded by the Jonesville postmaster accordin’ to promise; but not a word from my pardner, roustin’ up my apprehensions afresh. Had his fond heart broken under the too great strain? Had he passed away callin’ on my name?

      My tears dribbled down onto my dress waist, though I tried to stanch ’em with my snowy linen handkerchief. Tommy’s tears, too, began to fall, seein’ which I grabbed holt of Duty’s black apron-strings and wuz agin calm on the outside, and handed Tommy a chocolate drop (which healed his woond), although on the inside my heart kep’ on a seethin’ reservoir of agony and forbodin’s.

      The next day, as I sot in my comfortable easy chair on the car, knittin’ a little, tryin’ to take my mind offen trouble and Josiah, Tommy wuz settin’ by my side, and Miss Meechim and Dorothy nigh by. Aronette, like a little angel of Help, fixin’ the cushions under our feet, brushin’ the dust offen her mistresses dresses, or pickin’ up my stitches when in my agitation or the jigglin’ of the cars I dropped ’em, and a perfect Arabian СКАЧАТЬ