第60章 LAKE GEORGE AND MOUNT McGREGOR(3)

Waitin' patiently, fearlessly, till he should see in the first glow of the sunrise the form of the angel comin' to relieve his watch, the tall, fair angel of Rest, that the Great Commander sent down in the mornin' watches to relieve his weary soldier, that divinest angel that ever comes to the abode of men, though her beauty shines forever through tears, led by her hand, he has left life's battle-field forever; and what is left to this nation but memory, love, and mebby remorse.

But little matters it to him, the Nation's love or the Nation's blame, restin' there by the calm waters he loved.The tides come in, and the tides go out; jest as they did in his life; the fickle tide of public favor that swept by him, movin' him not on his heavenly mission of duty and patriotism.

The tides go out, and the tides come in; the wind wails and the wind sings its sweet summer songs; but he does not mind the melody or the clamor.He is resting.Sleep on, Hero beloved, while the world wakes to praise thee.

Wall, we sot sail from Mount McGregor about half-past four P.M., afternoon.And we wound round and round the mountain side jest as he did, only goin' down into the valley instid of upwards.

But the trees that clothed the bare back of the mountain looked green and shinin' in the late afternoon sunlight, and the fields spread out in the valley looked green and peaceful under the cool shadows of approachin' sunset.

And right in the midst of one of these fields, all full of white daisies, the cars stopped and the conductor sung out: "Five minutes' stop at Daisy station.Five minutes to get out and pick daisies."And sez Josiah to me in gruff axents, when I asked him if he wuz goin' to get out and pick some.Sez he, "Samantha, no man can go ahead of me in hatin' the dumb weeds, and doin' his best towards uprootin' 'em in my own land; and I deeply sympathize with any man who is over run by 'em.But why am I beholdin' to the man that owns this lot? Why should I and all the rest of this carload of folks, all dressed up in our best too, lay hold and weed out these infernal nuisances for nothin'?"Yes, he said these fearfully profane words to me and I herd him in silence, for I did not want to make a seen in public.Sez I, "Josiah, they are pickin' 'em because they love 'em.""Love 'em!" Oh, the fearful, scornful unbelievin' look that came over my pardner's face, as I said these peaceful words to him.

And he added a expletive which I am fur from bein' urged to ever repeat.It wuz sinful.

"Love 'em!" Agin he sez.And agin follerd a expletive that wuz still more forcible, and still more sinful.And I felt obliged to check him which I did.And after a long parlay, in which Iused my best endeavors of argument and reason to convince him that I wuz in the right on't, I see he wuzn't convinced.And then I spoke about its bein' fashionable to get out and pick 'em, and he looked different to once.I could see a change in him.

All my arguments of the beauty and sweetness of the posies had no effect, but when I said fashionable, he faltered, and he sez, "Is it called a genteel diversion?"And I sez, "Yes."

And finally he sez, "Wall, I s'pose I can go out and pick some for you.Dumb their dumb picters."Sez I, "Don't go in that spirit, Josiah Allen.""Wall, I shall go in jest that sprit," he snapped out, "if I go at all." And he went.

But oh! it wuz a sight to set and look on, and see the look onto his face, as he picked the innocent blossoms.It wuz a look of such deep loathin', and hatred, combined with a sort of a genteel, fashionable air.

Altogether it wuz the most curius, and strange look, that I ever see outside of a menagery of wild animals.And he had that same look onto his face as he came in and gin 'em to me.He had yanked'em all up by their roots too, which made the Bokay look more strange.But I accepted of it in silence, for I see by his mean that he wuz not in a condition to brook another word.

And I trembled when a bystander a standin' by who wuz arrangin'

a beautiful bunch of 'em, a handlin' 'em as flowers ort to be handled, as if they had a soul, and could feel a rough or tender touch, -- this man sez to Josiah, "I see that you too love this beautiful blossom."I wuz glad the man's eyes wuz riveted onto his Bokay, for the ferocity of Josiah Allen's look wuz sunthin' fearful.He looked as if he could tear him lim' from lim'.

And I hastily drawed Josiah to a seat at the other end of the car, and voyalently, but firmly, I drawed his attention off onto Religion.

I sez, "Josiah, do you believe we had better paint the steeple of the meetin'-house, white or dark colered?"This wuz a subject that had rent Jonesville to its very twain.

And Josiah had been fearfully exercised on it.And this plan of mine succeeded.He got eloquent on it, and I kinder held off, and talked offish, and let him convince me.

I did it from principle.