Samantha at Saratoga [34]
is the way you'll have to take me back, if you go on in this way much longer." "In what way, Josiah?" sez I. "Why a findin' springs and draggin' a man off to 'em, and makin' him drink." "Why, Josiah Allen," sez I, "I told you not to drink - don't you remember?" "No! I don't remember nuthin', nor don't want to. I want to go to sleep!" sez he, snappish as anything, so I went out and let him think if he wanted to, that I made the Springs, and the Minerals, and the Gysers, and the Spoutin' Rock, and everything. Good land! I knew I didn't; but I had to rest under the unkind insinnuation. Such is some of the trials of pardners. But Josiah waked up real clever. And I brung him up some delicate warm toast and some fragrant tea, and his smile on me wuz dretful good-natured, almost warm. And I forgot all his former petulence and basked in the rays of love and happiness that beamed on me out of the blue sky of my companion's eyes. The clear blue sky that held two stars, to which my heart turned. Such is some of the joys of pardners with which the world don't meddle with, nor can't destroy. But to resoom. Ardelia sot down awhile in our room before she went back to her boardin' house. I see she wuz a writin' for she had a long lead pencil in her right hand and occasionally she would lean her forrerd down upon it, in deep thought, and before she went, she slipped the verses into my hand. Sez I, a lookin' over my specks at Ardelia after I had finished readin' the verses: "What does 'ron' mean? I never heerd of that word before, nor knew there wuz sech a one." Sez she, "I meant ran, but I s'pose it is a poetical license to say 'ron,' don't you think so?" "Oh, yes," sez I, "I s'pose so, I don't know much about licenses, nor don't want to, they are suthin' I never believed in. But," sez I, for I see she looked red and overcasted by my remarks, "I don't s'pose it will make any difference in a 100 years whether you say ran or ron." But sez I, "Ardelia, it is a hot day, and I wouldn't write any more if I wuz in your place. If you should heat your bra-, the upper part of your head, you might not get over it for some time." "But," sez she, "you have told me sometimes to stop on account of cold weather." "Wall," sez I, "most any kind of weather is hard on some kinds of poetry." Sez I, "Poetry is sunthin' that takes particular kinds of folks and weather to be successful." Sez I, "It is sunthin' that can't be tampered with with impunity by Christians or world's people. It is a kind of a resky thing to do, and I wouldn't write any more to-day, Ardelia." And she heard to me and after a settin' a while with us, she went back to Mr. Pixley's.
VIII. JOSIAH AND SAMANTHA TAKE A LONG WALK.
Wall, we hadn't been to Saratoga long before Aunt Polly Pixley came over to see us, for Aunt Polly had been as good as her word and had come to Saratoga, to her 2d cousins, the Mr. Pixley'ses, where Ardelia wuz a stopping. Ardelia herself is a distant relation to Aunt Polly, quite distant, about 40 or 50 miles distant when they are both to home. Wall, the change in Aunt Polly is wonderful, perfectly wonderful. She don't look like the same woman. She took her knittin' work and come in the forenoon, for a all day's visit, jest as she wuz used to in the country, good old soul - and I took her right to my room and done well by her, and we talked considerable about other wimmen, not runnin' talk, but good plain talk. She thinks a sight of the Saratoga water, and well she may, if that is what has brung her up, for she wuz always sick in Jonesville, kinder bedrid. And when she sot out for Saratoga she had to have a piller to put on the seat behind her to sort a prop her up (hen's feather). And now, she told me she got up early every mornin' and walked down to the spring for a drink of the water - walked afoot. And she sez, "It is astonishin' how much good that water is a doin' me; for," sez she, "when I am to home I don't stir out of the house from one day's end to the other; and here," sez she, "I set out doors all day a'most, a listenin' to the music
VIII. JOSIAH AND SAMANTHA TAKE A LONG WALK.
Wall, we hadn't been to Saratoga long before Aunt Polly Pixley came over to see us, for Aunt Polly had been as good as her word and had come to Saratoga, to her 2d cousins, the Mr. Pixley'ses, where Ardelia wuz a stopping. Ardelia herself is a distant relation to Aunt Polly, quite distant, about 40 or 50 miles distant when they are both to home. Wall, the change in Aunt Polly is wonderful, perfectly wonderful. She don't look like the same woman. She took her knittin' work and come in the forenoon, for a all day's visit, jest as she wuz used to in the country, good old soul - and I took her right to my room and done well by her, and we talked considerable about other wimmen, not runnin' talk, but good plain talk. She thinks a sight of the Saratoga water, and well she may, if that is what has brung her up, for she wuz always sick in Jonesville, kinder bedrid. And when she sot out for Saratoga she had to have a piller to put on the seat behind her to sort a prop her up (hen's feather). And now, she told me she got up early every mornin' and walked down to the spring for a drink of the water - walked afoot. And she sez, "It is astonishin' how much good that water is a doin' me; for," sez she, "when I am to home I don't stir out of the house from one day's end to the other; and here," sez she, "I set out doors all day a'most, a listenin' to the music