Samantha at Saratoga [70]
through a lonesome way. Mebby it wuz "Never" they wuz a readin' about, and mebby it wuz "Forever." I don't know what it wuz. But we went by 'em, and anon, yes it wuz jest anon, for it wuz the very minute that I lifted my eyes from the Father's calm and rather sad-lookin' face, that I ketched sight on't, that I see a comin' down from the high hills to the left on us, an immense sort of a trough, or so it looked, a comin' right down through the trees, from the top of the mountain to the, bottom. And then all acrost the fields as fur, as fur as from our house way over to Miss Pixley's wuz a sort of a road, with a row of electric lights along the side on't. We drove up to a buildin' that stood at the foot of that immense slide, or so they called it, and a female woman who wuz there told us all about it. And we went out her back door, and see way up the slide, or trough. There wuz a railin' on each side on't, and a place in the middle where she said the Toboggen came down. And sez Josiah, "Who is the Toboggen, anyway? Is he a native of the place or a Injun? Anyway," sez he, "I'd give a dollar bill to see him a comin' down that place." And the woman said, "A Toboggen wuz a sort of a long sled, that two or three folks could ride on, and they come down that slide with such force that they went way out acrost the fields as far as the row of lights, before it stopped." Sez I, "Josiah Allen, did you ever see the beat on't?" Sez I, "Haint that as far as from our house to Miss Pixley's?" "Yes," says he, "and further too. It is as far as Uncle Jim Hozzleton's." "Wall," says I, "I believe you are in the right on't." And sez Josiah, "How do they get back agin? Do they come in the cars, or in their own conveniences?" "There is a sleigh to bring 'em back, but sometime they walk back," sez the woman. "Walk back!" sez I, in deep amaze. "Do they walk from way out there, and cleer up that mountain agin?" "Yes," sez she. "Don't you see the place at the side for 'em to draw the Toboggen up, and the little flights of steps for 'em to go up the hill?" "Wall," sez I, in deep amaze, and auxins as ever to get information on deep subjects, "where duz the fun come in, is it in walkin' way over the plain and up the hills, or is it in comin' down?" And she said she didn't know exactly where the fun lay, but she s'posed it wuz comin' down. Anyway, they seemed to enjoy it first rate. And she said it wuz a pretty sight to see 'em all on a bright clear night, when the sky wuz blue and full of stars, and the earth white and glistenin' underneath to see 7 or 800, all dressed up in to gayest way, suits of white blankets, gay borders and bright tasseled caps of every color, and suits of every other pretty color all trimmed with fur and embroideries, to see 'em all a laughin' and a talkin', with their cheeks and eyes bright and glowin', to see 'em a comin' down the slide like flashes of every colored light, and away out over the white glistenin' plains; and then to see the long line of happy laughin' creeters a walkin' back agin' drawin' the gay Toboggens. She said it wuz a sight worth seein'. "Do they come down alone?" sez Josiah. "Oh no!" sez she. "Boys and their sweethearts, men and wives, fathers and mothers and children, sometimes 4 on a Toboggan." Sez Josiah, lookin' anamated and clever, "I'd love to take you on one on 'em, Samantha.' "Oh no!" sez I, "I wouldn't want to be took." But a bystander a standin' by said it wuz a sight to behold to stand up on top and start off. He said the swiftness of the motion, the brightness of the electric lights ahead, the gleam of the snow made it seem like plungin' down a dazzlin' Niagara of whiteness and glitterin' light; and some, like bein' shot out of a cannon. Why, he said they went with such lightnin' speed, that if you stood clost by the slide a waitin' to see a friend go by, you might stand so near as to touch her, but you couldn't no more see her to recognize her, than you could recognize one spoke from another in the wheel of a runaway carriage. You would jest see a red flash go by, if so be