But, good land! as I told her, religion or not, anybody couldn"t cut anything to look anyhow without sumpthin" fora guide, and she bein" an old maiden felt a little delicate about measurin" him.
His mother wuz as big round as he wuz, her weight bein" 230 by the steelyards, and she allowed 2 fingers and a half extra length-Joe is tall. She gathered it in full round the neck, and the sleeves (at his request) hung down like wings, a breadth for each wing wuz what she allowed. Jenette owned up to me (though she wouldn"t want it told of for the world, for it had been sposed for years, that he and she had a likin" for each other, and mebby would make a match some time, though what they had been a-waitin" for for the last 10 years n.o.body knew). But she allowed to me that when he got his robe on, he wuz the worst lookin" human bein" that she ever laid eyes on, and sez she, for she likes a joke, Jenette duz: "I should think if Joe looked in the gla.s.s after he got it on, his religion would be a comfort to him; I should think he would be glad the world wuz comin" to a end."
But he didn"t look at the gla.s.s, Jenette said he didn"t; he wanted to see if it wuz the right size round the neck. Joe hain"t handsome, but he is kinder good-lookin", and he is a good feller and got plenty to do with, but bein" kinder big-featured, and tall, and hefty, he must have looked like fury in the robe. But he is liked by everybody, and everybody is glad to see him so prosperous and well off.
He has got 300 acres of good land, "be it more or less," as the deed reads; 30 head of cows, and 7 head of horses (and the hull bodies of "em). And a big sugar bush, over 1100 trees, and a nice little sugar house way up on a pretty side hill amongst the maple trees. A good, big, handsome dwellin" house, a sort of cream color, with green blinds; big barn, and carriage house, etc., etc., and everything in the very best of order. He is a pattern farmer and a pattern son-yes, Joe couldn"t be a more pattern son if he acted every day from a pattern.
He treats his mother dretful pretty, from day to day. She thinks that there hain"t n.o.body like Joe; and it wuz s"pozed that Jenette thought so too.
But Jenette is, and always wuz, runnin" over with common sense, and she always made fun and laughed at Joe when he got to talkin" about his religion, and about settin" a time for the world to come to a end. And some thought that that wuz one reason why the match didn"t go off, for Joe likes her, everybody could see that, for he wuz jest such a great, honest, open-hearted feller, that he never made any secret of it. And Jenette liked Joe I knew, though she fooled a good many on the subject. But she wuz always a great case to confide in me, and though she didn"t say so right out, which wouldn"t have been her way, for, as the poet sez, she wuzn"t one "to wear her heart on the sleeves of her bask waist," still, I knew as well es I wanted to, that she thought her eyes of him. And old Miss Charnick jest about worshipped Jenette, would have her with her, sewin" for her, and takin" care of her-she wuz sick a good deal, Mother Charnick wuz. And she would have been tickled most to death to have had Joe marry her and bring her right home there.
And Jenette wuz a smart little creeter, "smart as lightnin"," as Josiah always said.
She had got along in years, Jenette had, without marryin", for she staid to hum and took care of her old father and mother and Tom. The other girls married off, and left her to hum, and she had chances, so it wuz said, good ones, but she wouldn"t leave her father and mother, who wuz gettin" old, and kinder bed-rid, and needed her. Her father, specially, said he couldn"t live, and wouldn"t try to, if Jenette left "em, but he said, the old gentleman did, that Jenette should be richly paid for her goodness to "em.
That wuzn"t what made Jenette good, no, indeed; she did it out of the pure tenderness and sweetness of her nature and lovin"heart. But I used to love to hear the old gentleman talk that way, for he wuz well off, and I felt that so far as money could pay for the hull devotion of a life, why, Jenette would be looked out for, and have a good home, and enough to do with. So she staid to hum, as I say, and took care of"em night and day; sights of watching and wearisome care she had, poor little creeter; but she took the best of care of "em, and kep "em kinder comforted up, and clean, and brought up Tom, the youngest boy, by hand, and thought her eyes on him.
And he wuz a smart chap-awful smart, as it proved in the end; for he married when he wuz 21, and brought his wife (a disagreeable creeter) home to the old homestead, and Jenette, before they had been there 2 weeks, wuz made to feel that her room wuz better than her company.
That wuz the year the old gentleman died; her mother had died 3 months prior and beforehand.
Her brother, as I said, wur smart, and he and his wife got round the old man in some way and sot him against Jenette, and got everything he had.
He wuz childish, the old man wuz; used to try to put his pantaloons on over his head, and get his feet into his coat sleeves, etc., etc.
And he changed his will, that had gi"n Jenette half the property, a good property, too, and gi"n it all to Tom, every mite of it, all but one dollar, which Jenette never took by my advice.
For I wuz burnin" indignant at old Mr. Finster and at Tom. Curius, to think such a girl as Jenette had been-such a patient, good creeter, and such a good-tempered one, and everything-to think her pa should have forgot all she had done, and suffered, and gi"n up for "em, and give the property all to that boy, who had never done anything only to spend their money and make Jenette trouble.
But then, I s"poze it wuz old Mr. Finster"s mind, or the lack on"t, and I had to stand it, likewise so did Jenette.
But I never sot a foot into Tom Finster"s house, not a foot after that day that Jenette left it. I wouldn"t. But I took her right to my house, and kep her for 9 weeks right along, and wuz glad to.
That wuz some 10 years prior and before this, and she had gone round sewin" ever sense. And she wuz beloved by everybody, and had gone round highly respected, and at seventy-five cents a day.
Her troubles, and everybody that knew her, knew how many she had of "em, but she kep "em all to herself, and met the world and her neighbors with a bright face.
If she took her skeletons out of the closet to air "em, and I s"poze she did, everybody duz; they have to at times, to see if their bones are in good order, if for nothin" else. But if she ever did take "em out and dust "em, she did it all by herself. The closet door wuz shet up and locked when anybody wuz round. And you would think, by her bright, laughin" face, that she never heard the word skeleton, or ever listened to the rattle of a bone.
And she kep up such a happy, cheerful look on the outside, that I s"poze it ended by her bein" cheerful and happy on the inside.
The stiddy, good-natured, happy spirit that she cultivated at first by hard work, so I s"poze; but at last it got to be second nater, the qualities kinder struck in and she wuz happy, and she wuz contented-that is, I s"poze so.
Though I, who knew Jenette better than anybody else, almost, knew how tuff, how fearful tuff it must have come on her, to go round from home to home-not bein" settled down at home anywhere. I knew jest what a lovin" little home body she wuz. And how her sweet nater, like the sun, would love to light up one bright lovin" home, and shine kinder stiddy there, instead of glancin" and changin" about from one place to another, like a meteor.
Some would have liked it; some like change and constant goin" about, and movin" constantly through s.p.a.ce-but I knew Jenette wuzn"t made on the meteor plan. I felt sorry for Jenette, down deep in my heart, I did; but I didn"t tell her so; no, she wouldn"t have liked it; she kep a brave face to the world. And as I said, her comin" wuz looked for weeks and weeks ahead, in any home where she wuz engaged to sew by the day.
Everybody in the house used to feel the presence of a sunshiny, cheerful spirit. One that wuz determined to turn her back onto troubles she couldn"t help and keep her face sot towards the Sun of Happiness. One who felt good and pleasant towards everybody, wished everybody well. One who could look upon other folks"es good fortune without a mite of jealousy or spite. One who loved to hear her friends praised and admired, loved to see "em happy. And if they had a hundred times the good things she had, why, she was glad for their sakes, that they had "em, she loved to see "em enjoy "em, if she couldn"t.
And she wuz dretful kinder cunnin" and cute, Jenette wuz. She would make the oddest little speeches; keep everybody laughin" round her, when she got to goin".
Yes, she wuz liked dretful well, Jenette wuz. Her face has a kind of a pert look on to it, her black eyes snap, a good-natured snap, though, and her nose turns up jest enough to look kinder cunnin", and her hair curls all over her head.
Smart round the house she is, and Mother Charnick likes that, for she is a master good housekeeper. Smart to answer back and joke. Joe is slow of speech, and his big blue eyes won"t fairly get sot onto anything, before Jenette has looked it all through, and turned it over, and examined it on the other side, and got through with it.
Wall, she wuz to work to Mother Charnick"s makin" her a black alpacka dress, and four new calico ones, and coverin" a parasol.
A good many said that Miss Charnick got dresses a purpose for Jenette to make, so"s to keep her there. Jenette wouldn"t stay there a minute only when she wuz to work, and as they always kep a good, strong, hired girl, she knew when she wuz needed, and when she wuzn"t. But, of course, she couldn"t refuse to sew for her, and at what she wuz sot at, though she must have known and felt that Miss Charnick wuz lavish in dresses. She had 42 calico dresses, and everybody knew it, new ones, besides woosted. But, anyway, there she was a sewin" when the word came that the world was a comin" to a end on the 30th day of June, at 4 o"clock in the afternoon.
Miss Charnick wuz a believer, but not to the extent that Joe was. For Jenette asked her if she should stop sewin", not sposin" that she would need the dresses, specially the four calico ones, and the parasol in case of the world"s endin".
And she told Jenette, and Jenette told me, so"s I know it is true, "that she might go right on, and get the parasol cover, and the trimmins to the dresses, cambrick, and linin" and things, and hooks and eyes."
And Miss Charnick didn"t prepare no robe. But Jenette mistrusted, though Miss Charnick is close-mouthed, and didn"t say nothin", but Jenette mistrusted that she laid out, when she sees signs, to use a nightgown.
She had piles of the nicest ones, that Jenette had made for her from time to time, over 28, all trimmed off nice enough for day dresses, so Jenette said, trimmed with tape trimmin"s, some of "em, and belted down in front.
Wall, they had lots of meetin"s at the Risley school-house, as the time drew near. And Miss Trueman Pool went to every one on "em.
She had been too weak to go out to the well, or to the barn. She wanted dretfully to see some new stanchils that Josiah had been a makin", jest like some that Pool had had in his barn. She wanted to see "em dretful, but was too weak to walk. And I had had kind of a tussle in my own mind, whether or not I should offer to let Josiah carry her out; but kinder hesitated, thinkin" mebby she would get stronger.
But I hain"t jealous, not a mite. It is known that I hain"t all through Jonesville and Loontown. No, I"d scorn it. I thought Pool"s wife would get better and she did.
One evenin" Joe Charnick came down to bring home Josiah"s augur, and the conversation turned onto Adventin". And Miss Pool see that Joe wuz congenial on that subject; he believed jest as she did, that the world would come to an end the 30th. This was along the first part of the month.
He spoke of the good meetin"s they wuz a-havin" to the Risley school-house, and how he always attended to every one on "em. And the next mornin" Miss Trueman Pool gin out that she wuz a-goin" that evenin". It wuz a good half a mile away, and I reminded her that Josiah had to be away with the team, for he wuz a-goin" to Loontown, heavy loaded, and wouldn"t get back till along in the evenin".
But she said "that she felt that the walk would do her good."
I then reminded her of the stanchils, but she said "stanchils and religion wuz two separate things." Which I couldn"t deny, and didn"t try to. And she sot off for the school-house that evenin" a-walkin" a foot. And the rest of her adventins and the adventins of Joe I will relate in another epistol; and I will also tell whether the world come to an end or not. I know folks will want to know, and I don"t love to keep folks in onxiety-it hain"t my way.
CHAPTER XV.
Wall, from that night, Miss Trueman Pool attended to the meetins at the Risley school-house, stiddy and constant. And before the week wuz out Joe Charnick had walked home with her twice. And the next week he carried her to Jonesville to get the cloth for her robe, jest like his"n, white book muslin. And twice he had come to consult her on a Bible pa.s.sage, and twice she had walked up to his mother"s to consult with her on a pa.s.sage in the Apockraphy. And once she went up to see if her wings wuz es deep and full es his"n. She wanted "em jest the same size.
Miss Charnick couldn"t bear her. Miss Charnick wuz a woman who had enjoyed considerble poor health in her life, and she had now, and had been havin" for years, some dretful bad spells in her stomach-a sort of a tightness acrost her chest. And Trueman"s wife argued with her that her spells had been worse, and her chest had been tighter. And the old lady didn"t like that at all, of course. And the old lady took thoroughwert for "em, and Trueman"s wife insisted on"t that thoroughwert wuz tightenin".
And then there wuz some chickens in a basket out on the stoop, that the old hen had deserted, and Miss Charnick wuz a bringin" "em up by hand. And Mother Chainick went out to feed "em, and Trueman"s wife tosted her head and said, "she didn"t approve of it-she thought a chicken ought to be brung up by a hen."
But Miss Charnick said, "Why, the hen deserted "em; they would have perished right there in the nest."
But Trueman"s wife wouldn"t gin in, she stuck right to it, "that it wuz a hen"s business, and n.o.body else"s."
And of course she had some sense on her side, for of course it is a hen"s business, her duty and her prevelege to bring up her chickens. But if she won"t do it, why, then, somebody else has got to-they ought to be brung. I say Mother Charnick wuz in the right on"t. But Trueman"s wife had got so in the habit of findin" fault, and naggin" at me, and the other relations on Trueman"s side and hern, that she couldn"t seem to stop it when she knew it wuz for her interest to stop.
And then she ketched a sight of the alpacker dress Jenette wuz a-makin" and she said "that basks had gone out."
And Miss Charnick was over partial to "em (most too partial, some thought), and thought they wuz in the height of the fashion. But Trueman"s wife ground her right down on it.
"Basks wuz out, fer she knew it, she had all her new ones made polenay."
And hearin" "em argue back and forth for more"n a quarter of an hour, Jenette put in and sez (she thinks all the world of Mother Charnick), "Wall, I s"pose you won"t take much good of your polenays, if you have got so little time to wear "em."
And then Trueman"s wife (she wuz meen-dispositioned, anyway) said somethin" about "hired girls keepin" their place."
And then Mother Charnick flared right up and took Jenette"s part. And Joe"s face got red; he couldn"t bear to see Jenette put upon, if she wuz makin" fun of his religeon. And Trueman"s wife see that she had gone too fur, and held herself in, and talked good to Jenette, and flattered up Joe, and he went home with her and staid till ten o"clock.
They spent a good deal of their time a-huntin" up pa.s.sages, to prove their doctrine, in the Bible, and the Apockraphy, and Josephus, and others.
It beat all how many Trueman"s wife would find, and every one she found Joe would seem to think the more on her. And so it run along, till folks said they wuz engaged, and Josiah and me thought so, too.
And though Jenette wuzn"t the one to say anything, she begun to look kinder pale and mauger. And when I spoke of it to her, she laid it to her liver. And I let her believe I thought so too. And I even went so fur as to recommend tansey and camomile tea, with a little catnip mixed in-I did it fur blinders. I knew it wuzn"t her liver that ailed her. I knew it wuz her heart. I knew it wuz her heart that wuz a-achin".
Wall, we had our troubles, Josiah and me did. Trueman"s wife wuz dretful disagreeable, and would argue us down, every separate thing we tried to do or say. And she seemed more high-headed and disagreeable than ever sence Joe had begun to pay attention to her. Though what earthly good his attention wuz a-goin" to do, wuz more than I could see, accordin" to her belief.
But Josiah said, "he guessed Joe wouldn"t have paid her any attention, if he hadn"t thought that the world wuz a-comin" to a end so soon. He guessed he wouldn"t want her round if it wuz a-goin" to stand."
Sez I, "Josiah, you are a-judgin" Joe by yourself." And he owned up that he wuz.
Wall, the mornin" of the 30th, after Josiah and me had eat our breakfast, I proceeded to mix up my bread. I had set the yeast overnight, and I wuz a mouldin" it out into tins when Trueman"s wife come down-stairs with her robe over her arm. She wanted to iron it out and press the seams.
I had baked one tin of my biscuit for breakfast, and I had kep "em warm for Trueman"s wife, for she had been out late the night before to a meetin" to Risley school-house, and didn"t come down to breakfast. I had also kep some good coffee warm for her, and some toast and steak.
She laid her robe down over a chair-back, and sot down to her breakfast, but begun the first thing to find fault with me for bein" to work on that day. She sez, "The idee, of the last day of the world, and you a-bein" found makin" riz biscuit, yeast ones!" sez she.
"Wall," sez I, "I don"t know but I had jest as soon be found a-makin" riz biscuit, a-takin" care of my own household, as the Lord hes commanded me to, as to be found a-sailin" round in a book muslin Mother Hubbard."
"It hain"t a Mother Hubbard!" sez she.
"Wall," sez I, "I said it for oritory. But it is puckered up some like them, and you know it." Hers wuz made with a yoke.
And Josiah sot there a-fixin" his plantin" bag. He wuz a-goin" out that mornin" to plant over some corn that the crows had pulled up. And she bitterly reproved him. But he sez, "If the world don"t come to a end, the corn will be needed."
"But it will," she sez in a cold, haughty tone.
"Wall," sez he, "if it does, I may as well be a-doin" that as to be settin" round." And he took his plantin" bag and went out. And then she jawed me for upholdin" him.
And sez she, as she broke open a biscuit and spread it with b.u.t.ter previous to eatin" it, sez she, "I should think respect, respect for the great and fearful thought of meetin" the Lord, would scare you out of the idea of goin" on with your work."
Sez I calmly, "Does it scare you, Trueman"s wife?"
"Wall, not exactly scare," sez she, "but lift up, lift up far above bread and other kitchen work."
And again she b.u.t.tered a large slice, and I sez calmly, "I don"t s"poze I should be any nearer the Lord than I am now. He sez He dwells inside of our hearts, and I don"t see how He could get any nearer to us than that. And anyway, what I said to you I keep a-sayin", that I think He would approve of my goin" on calm and stiddy, a-doin" my best for the ones He put in my charge here below, my husband, my children, and my grandchildren." (I some expected Tirzah Ann and the babe home that day to dinner.) "Wall, you feel very diffrent from some wimmen that wuz to the school-house last night, and act very diffrent. They are good Christian females. It is a pity you wuzn"t there. P"raps your hard heart would have melted, and you would have had thoughts this mornin" that would soar up above riz biscuit."
And as she sez this she begun on her third biscuit, and poured out another cup of coffee. And I, wantin" to use her well, sez, "What did they do there?"
"Do!" sez she, "why, it wuz the most glorious meetin" we ever had. Three wimmen lay at one time perfectly speechless with the power. And some of em" screemed so you could hear "em fer half a mile."
I kep on a-mouldin" my bread out into biscuit (good shaped ones, too, if I do say it), and sez calmly, "Wall, I never wuz much of a screemer. I have always believed in layin" holt of the duty next to you, and doin" some things, things He has commanded. Everybody to their own way. I don"t condemn yourn, but I have always seemed to believe more in the solid, practical parts of religion, than the ornimental. I have always believed more in the power of honesty, truth, and justice, than in the power they sometimes have at camp and other meetins. Howsumever," sez I, "I don"t say but what that power is powerful, to the ones that have it, only I wuz merely observin" that it never wuz my way to lay speechless or holler much-not that I consider hollerin" wrong, if you holler from principle, but I never seemed to have a call to."