Samantha at Saratoga [66]
in the shinin' surface, that they seemed to be trees a growin' downwards, tall grand trees, wavin' branches, goin' down into the water and livin' agin in another world, -- a more beautiful one. The sun wuz a gettin' low and piles of clouds wuz in the west and all their light wuz reflected in the calm water. And the beautiful soft shadows rested there on that rosy and golden light, some like the shadow of a beautiful and sorrowful memory, a restin' down and reposin' on a divine hope, an infinite sweetness.
XIII. VISITS TO NOTABLE PLACES.
It is a perfect sight to behold, to set on the piazzas at Saratoga, and see the folks a goin' past. Now in Jonesville, when there wuz a 4th of July, or campmeetin', or sunthin' of that kind a goin' on, why, I thought I had seen the streets pretty full. Why, I had counted as many as seven teams in the road at one time, and I had thought that wuz pretty lively times. But good land? Good land! You would have gin up in ten minutes time here, that you had never seen a team (as it were). Why I call my head a pretty sound one, but I declare, it did fairly make my head swim to set there kinder late in the afternoon, and see the drivin' a goin' on. See the carriages a goin' this way, and a goin' that way; horses of all colers, and men and wimmen of all colers, and parasols of all colers, and hats, and bonnets and parasols, and satins, and laces, and ribbins, and buttons, and dogs, and flowers, and plumes, and parasols. And horses a turnin' out to go by, and horses havin' gone by, and horses that hadn't gone by. And big carriages with folks inside all dressed up in every coler of the rain beaux. And elligent gentlemen dressed perfectly splendid, a settin' up straight behind. With thin yellow legs, or stripes down the side on 'em, and their hats all trimmed off with ornaments and buttons up and down their backs. Haughty creeters they wuz, I make no doubt. They showed it in their looks. But I never loved so much dress in a man. And I would jest as soon have told them so; as to tell you. I hain't one to say things to a man's back that I won't say to his face, whether it be a plain back or buttoned. Wall, as I say, it wuz a dizzy sight to set there on them piazzas and see the seemin'ly endless crowd a goin' by; back and forth, back and forth; to and fro, to and fro. I didn't enjoy it so much as some did, though for a few minutes at a time I looked upon it as a sort of a recreation, some like a circus, only more wilder. But some folks enjoyed it dretfully. Yes, they set a great deal on piazzas at Saratoga. And when I say set on 'em, I mean they set a great store on 'em, and they set on 'em a great deal. Some folks set on 'em so much, that I called them setters. Real likely creeters they are too, some on 'em, and handsome; some pious, sober ones, some sort a gay. Some not married at all, and some married a good deal, and when I say a good deal I meen, they have had various companions and lost 'em. Now there wuz one woman that I liked quite well. She had had 4 husbands countin' in the present one. She wuz a good lookin' woman and had seen trouble. It stands to reeson she had with 4 husbands. Good land! She showed me one day a ring she wore. She had took the weddin' rings of her 4 pardners and had 'em all run together, and the initials of their first names carved inside on it. Her first husband's name wuz Franklin, her next two wuz Orville and Obed, and her last and livin' one Lyman. Wall, she meant well, but she never see what would be the end on't and how it would read till she had got their initials all carved out on it. She wuz dretfully worked up about it, but I see that it wuz right. For nobody but a fool would want to run all these recollections and memories together, all the different essociations and emotions, that must cluster round each of them rings. The idee of runnin' 'em all together with the livin' one! It wuz ectin' like a fool and it seemed fairly providential that their names run in jest that way. Why, if I had had 2 husbands, or even 4, I should want
XIII. VISITS TO NOTABLE PLACES.
It is a perfect sight to behold, to set on the piazzas at Saratoga, and see the folks a goin' past. Now in Jonesville, when there wuz a 4th of July, or campmeetin', or sunthin' of that kind a goin' on, why, I thought I had seen the streets pretty full. Why, I had counted as many as seven teams in the road at one time, and I had thought that wuz pretty lively times. But good land? Good land! You would have gin up in ten minutes time here, that you had never seen a team (as it were). Why I call my head a pretty sound one, but I declare, it did fairly make my head swim to set there kinder late in the afternoon, and see the drivin' a goin' on. See the carriages a goin' this way, and a goin' that way; horses of all colers, and men and wimmen of all colers, and parasols of all colers, and hats, and bonnets and parasols, and satins, and laces, and ribbins, and buttons, and dogs, and flowers, and plumes, and parasols. And horses a turnin' out to go by, and horses havin' gone by, and horses that hadn't gone by. And big carriages with folks inside all dressed up in every coler of the rain beaux. And elligent gentlemen dressed perfectly splendid, a settin' up straight behind. With thin yellow legs, or stripes down the side on 'em, and their hats all trimmed off with ornaments and buttons up and down their backs. Haughty creeters they wuz, I make no doubt. They showed it in their looks. But I never loved so much dress in a man. And I would jest as soon have told them so; as to tell you. I hain't one to say things to a man's back that I won't say to his face, whether it be a plain back or buttoned. Wall, as I say, it wuz a dizzy sight to set there on them piazzas and see the seemin'ly endless crowd a goin' by; back and forth, back and forth; to and fro, to and fro. I didn't enjoy it so much as some did, though for a few minutes at a time I looked upon it as a sort of a recreation, some like a circus, only more wilder. But some folks enjoyed it dretfully. Yes, they set a great deal on piazzas at Saratoga. And when I say set on 'em, I mean they set a great store on 'em, and they set on 'em a great deal. Some folks set on 'em so much, that I called them setters. Real likely creeters they are too, some on 'em, and handsome; some pious, sober ones, some sort a gay. Some not married at all, and some married a good deal, and when I say a good deal I meen, they have had various companions and lost 'em. Now there wuz one woman that I liked quite well. She had had 4 husbands countin' in the present one. She wuz a good lookin' woman and had seen trouble. It stands to reeson she had with 4 husbands. Good land! She showed me one day a ring she wore. She had took the weddin' rings of her 4 pardners and had 'em all run together, and the initials of their first names carved inside on it. Her first husband's name wuz Franklin, her next two wuz Orville and Obed, and her last and livin' one Lyman. Wall, she meant well, but she never see what would be the end on't and how it would read till she had got their initials all carved out on it. She wuz dretfully worked up about it, but I see that it wuz right. For nobody but a fool would want to run all these recollections and memories together, all the different essociations and emotions, that must cluster round each of them rings. The idee of runnin' 'em all together with the livin' one! It wuz ectin' like a fool and it seemed fairly providential that their names run in jest that way. Why, if I had had 2 husbands, or even 4, I should want