Samantha at Saratoga [37]
with all that golden light a drippin' about her. Josiah liked her looks first rate. And he liked the looks of some of the pictures extremely. There wuz lots of places all full of pictures. A big collection of water colors, though as Josiah said and well said, How they could get so many colors out of water wuz a mystery to him. But my choice out of all the pictures I see, wuz a little one called "The Sands of Dee." It wuz "Mary a callin' the cattle home." The cruel treacherus water wuz a risin' about her round bare ankles as she stood there amongst the rushes with her little milk-bucket on her arm. Her pretty innocent face wuz a lookin' off into the shadows, and the last ray of sunset was a fallin' on her. Maybe it wuz the pity on't that struck so hard as I looked at it, to know that the "cruel, crawli'n foam" wuz so soon to creep over the sweet young face and round limbs. And there seemed to be a shadow of the comin' fate, a sweepin' in on the gray mist behind her. I stood for some time, and I don't know but longer, a lookin' at it, my Josiah a standin' placidly behind me, a lookin' over my shoulder and enjoyin' of it too, till the price wuz mentioned. But at that fearful moment, my pardner seized me by the arm, and walked me so voyalently out of that store and down the walk that I did not find and recover myself till we stood at the entrance to Philey street. And I wuz so out of breath, by his powerful speed, that she didn't look nateral to me, I hardly recognized Philey. But Josiah hurried me down Philey and wanted to get my mind offen Mary Dee I knew, for he says as we come under a sign hangin' down over the road, "Horse Exchange," sez he, "What do you say, Samantha, do you spose I could change off the old mair, for a camel or sunthin'? How would you like a camel to ride?" I looked at him in speechless witherin' silence, and he went on hurridly, "It would make a great show in Jonesville, wouldn't it, to see us comin' to meetin' on a camel, or to see us ridin' in a cutter drawed by one. I guess I'll see about it, some other time." And he went on hurridly, and almost incoherently as we see another sign, over the road - oh! how vollubly he did talk - "Quick, Livery." "I hate to see folks so dumb conceeted! Now I don't spose that man has got any hosses much faster than the old mair." "'Wing's!' Shaw! I don't believe no such thing - a livery on wings. I don't believe a word on't. And you wouldn't ketch me on one on 'em, if they had!" "'Yet Sing!"' sez he, a lookin' accost the street into a laundry house. "What do I care if you do sing? 'Taint of much account if you do any way. I sing sometimes, I yet sing," says he. "Sing," sez I in neerly witherin' tone. "I'd love to hear you sing, I haint yet and I've lived with you agoin' on 30 years." "Wall, if you haint heerd me, it is because you are deef," sez he. But that is jest the way he kep' on, a hurryin' me along, and a talkin' fast to try to get the price of that picture out of my head. Anon, and sometimes oftener, we would come to the word in big letters on signs, or on the fence, or the sides of barns, "Pray." And sometimes it would read, "Pray for my wife!" And Josiah every time he came to the words would stop and reflect on 'em. "`Pray!' What business is it of yourn, whether I pray or not? `Pray for my wife!' That haint none of your business." Sez he, a shakin' his fist at the fence, "'Taint likely I should have a wife without prayin' for her. She needs it bad enough," sez he once, as he stood lookin' at it. I gin him a strange look, and he sez, "You wouldn't like it, would you, if I didn't pray for you?" "No," sez I, "and truly as you say, the woman who is your wife needs prayer, she needs help, morn half the time she duz." He looked kinder dissatisfied at the way I turned it, but he sez, "'Plumbin' done here!'" "I'd love to know where they are goin' to plum. I don't see no sign of plum trees, nor no stick to knock 'em off with." And agin he sez, "You would make a great 'fuss, Samantha, if I should say what is painted up right there on that cross