Samantha at Saratoga [18]
this work the Lord's work, and if He is satisfied with Miss Bibbins, we ort to be." But she kinder nestled round, and I see she wuzn't satisfied, but I couldn't stop to argue, and I tackled her then and there about the Smedleys. I asked her to give a pound, or pounds, as she felt disposed. But she answered me firmly that she could't give one cent to the Smedleys, she wuz principled against it. And I asked her, "Why?" And she said, because the old lady wuz proud and wanted a home, and she thought that pride wuz so wicked, that it ort to be put down. Wall, Miss Huff, Miss Cephas Huff, wouldn't give anything because one of the little Smedleys had lied to her. She wouldn't encourage lyin'. And I told her I didn't believe she would be half so apt to reform him on an empty stomach, as after he wuz fed up. But she wouldn't yield. Wall, Miss Daggett said she would give, and give abundant, only she didn't consider it a worthy object. But it wuzn't nothin' only a excuse, for the object has never been found yet that she thought wuz a worthy one. Why, she wouldn't give a cent towards painting the Methodist steeple, and if that haint a high and worthy object, I don't know what is. Why, our steeple is over seventy feet from the ground. But she wouldn't help us a mite -- not a single cent. Take such folks as them and the object never suits 'em. They won't come right out and tell the truth that they are too stingy and mean to give away a cent, but they will always put the excuse onto the object -- the object don't suit 'em. Why, I do believe it is the livin' truth that if the angel Gabriel wuz the object, if he wuz in need and we wuz gittin' up a pound party for him -- she would find fault with Gabriel, and wouldn't give him a ounce of provisions. Yes, I believe it -- I believe they would tost their heads and say, they always had had their thoughts about anybody that tooted so loud -- it might be all right but it didn't look well, and would be apt to make talk. Or they would say that he wuz shiftless and extravagant a loafin' round in the clouds, when he might go to work -- or that he might raise the money himself by selling the feathers offen his wings for down pillers -- or some of the rest of the Gabriel family might help him -- or something, or other -- anyway they would propose some way of gittin' out of givin' a cent to Gabriel. I believe it as much as I believe I live and breathe; and so does Josiah. Wall, Miss Mooney wouldn't give anything because she thought Jane Smedley wuzn't so sick as she thought she wuz; she said "she was spleeny." And I told Miss Mooney that when a woman was sick enough to die, I thought she ort to be called sick. But Miss Mooney wouldn't give up, and insisted to the very last that Miss Smedley wuz hypoey and spleeny -- and thought she wuz sicker than she really wuz. And she held her head and her nose up in a very disagreeable and haughty way, and said as I left, that she never could bear to help spleeny people. Wall, all that forenoon did I traipse through the street and not one cent did I get for the Smedleys, only Miss Gowdey said she would bring a cabbage and Miss Deacon Peedick and Miss Ingledue partly promised a squash apiece. And I mistrusted that they give 'em more to please me than anything else. Wall, I wuz clean discouraged and beat out, and so I told Josiah. But he encouraged me some by sayin': "Wall, I could have told you jest how it would be," and, "You would have done better, Samantha, to have been to home a cookin' for your own famishin' family." And several more jest such inspirin' remarks as men will give to the females of their families when they are engaged in charitable enterprises. But I got a good, a very good dinner, and it made me feel some better, and then I haint one to give up to discouragements, anyway. So I put on a little better dress for after noon, and my best bonnet and shawl, and set sail again after dinner. And if I ever had a lesson in not givin' up to discouragements in the first place I had it then. For whether it wuz on account of the more dressy look of