Samantha at Saratoga [102]
to have his words and manner soothin' and comfortin', and that dog a standin' on his heels and tearin' off his coat-tails. What to do he didn't know. He couldn't stop his prayer on such a time as this and kill a dog, though he owned up to me that he felt like it, and he couldn't keep still and feel his coat-tails tore off of him, and be growled at, and shook, and pawed at all day. So he said after the dog had gin a most powerful tug, almost a partin' the skirts asunder from his coat, he drew up one foot carefully (still a keepin' his face straight and the prayer agoin') and brung it back sudden and voyalent, and he heard the dog strike aginst the opposite side of the room with one short, sharp yelp, and then silence rained down and he finished the prayer. But he said, and owned it up to me, that it didn't seem to him so much like a religious exercise, as he could wish. It didn't seem to help his spiritual growth much, if any. And I sez, "I should think as much," and I sez, "You wuz in a hard place, Josiah Allen." And he sez, "It wuz the dumbest hard place any one wuz ever in on earth." And I sez, "I don't know but it wuz." That man wuz to be pitied, and I told him so, and he acted real cheerful and contented at hearin' my mind. He owned up that he had dreaded tellin' me about it, for fear I would upbraid him. But, good land! I would have been a hard hearted creeter if I could upbraid a man for goin' through such a time as that. He said he thought mebby I would think it wuz irreverent or sunthin', the dog's actions, at such a time. "Wall," sez I, "you didn't choose the actions, did you? It wuzn't nothin' you wanted." "No," sez he feelin'ly. "Heaven knows I didn't. And I done the best I could," sez he sort a pitiful. Sez I, "I believe you, Josiah Allen," and sez I warmly, "I don't believe that Alexander, or Cezar, or Grover Cleveland, could have done any better." He brightened all up at this, he felt dretful well to think I felt with him, and my feelin's wuz all rousted up to think of the sufferin's he had went through, so we felt real well towards each other. Such is some of the comforts and consolations of pardners. Howsumever, the dog died, and I wuz kinder sorry for the dog. I think enough of dogs (as dogs) and always did. Always use 'em dretful well, only it mads me to have 'em put ahead of children, and sot up in front of 'em. I always did and always shall like a dog as a dog. Wall, they say that when that dog died, Miss Flamm hardly inquired about it, she wuz so took up in gettin' acquainted with her own children. And I s'pose they improved on acquaintance, for they say she is jest devoted to 'em. And she got acquainted with G. Washington too, so they say. He wuz a stiddy, quiet man, and she had got to lookin' on him as her banker and business man. But they say she liked him real well, come to get acquainted with him. He always jest worshipped her, so they are real happy. There wuz always sunthin' kinder good about Miss Flamm. Thos. J. is a carryin' on another lawsuit for her (more money that descended onto her from her father, or that ort to descend). And he is carryin' it stiddy and safe. It will bring Thomas Jefferson over 900 dollars in money besides fame, a hull lot of fame. Wall, we sot sail for home in good spirits, and the noon train. And we reached Jonesville with no particular eppisodin' till we got to the Jonesville Depot. I rather think Ardelia Tutt wrote a poem on the cars goin' home, though I can't say for certain. She and Abram sot a few seats in front of us, and I thought I see a certain look to the backside of her head that meant poetry. It wuz a kind of a sot look, and riz up like. But I can't say for certain for she didn't have no chance to tell me about it. Abram looked down at her all the time as if he jest worshipped her. And she is a good little creeter, and will make him a happy wife; I don't make no doubt. As I said, the old lady is goin' to live with Susan. They went right on in the train, for Ardelia's home lays beyond Jonesville, and Abram wuz goin' home with her