It wuz a lovely day when we see the towers of Jonesville loom up above the billows of environin’ green.
(I mean the M. E. steeple showin’ up beyend Grout Nickleson’s pine woods.)
As the cars drew into the station they tooted their delight agin and agin at our safe return as the train stopped.
As we walked up the platform I see Josiah furtively on-button his stiff linen cuffs as if preparin’ to throw ’em off for life. His face radiant, and hummin’ sotey vosey his favorite ballad:
“Hum agin, hum agin, from a furren shore.”
Arvilly looked happy to agin touch the sile of home, and be able, as she said, to “tend to her things.” And wuz not I happy? I who loved my country with the jealous love that makes a ma spank her boy for cuttin’ up. Is it love that makes a ma stand by, and see her boy turn summer sets and warhoop in meetin’-houses? Nay, verily, every spank that makes him behave is a touching evidence of her warm devotion.
I felt as I stood on the beloved sile of home (better sile and richer than any other), beneath its bright sunshine (warmer and brighter than any other sunshine) I felt that I loved my country with that passionate, jealous love that could never be contented till she rises up to the full glory she might and will have. When she sweeps her long strong 452 arms round and brushes off vile politicians and time-servers, and uses a pure free ballot to elect good men and good wimmen to make good laws, then will come the Golden Age that I look for, and that will come, when Justice will take her bandages off, and look out with both eyes over a prosperous and happy land. God speed the day!
We parted with the children here, they goin’ to their own homes, after promisin’ to come and see me and their pa very soon. Tommy throwed his arms round my neck and said he should stay with us half the time. We want him to.
Well, Ury met us with the mair and warm smiles of welcome, and Philury greeted us with joyous smiles and a good warm meat supper. They set store by us, lots of store, and when we gin ’em the presents we had brung for ’em from foreign shores, happiness seemed to radiate from ’em like light and warmth from the sun. Josiah enjoyed his supper––yes, indeed––his liniment shone with satisfaction as he sot at the table in his stockin’ feet and shirt sleeves, and eat more than wuz good for him, fur more. He had begun to onbend, and I knew that for days I couldn’t keep clothes enough on him to be hardly decent, but knew also that that would wear away in time.
Feelin’ first-rate when we got home, it only took us a short time to rest and recooperate from our tower, and receive calls from the children and grandchildren and Jonesvillians. And the children helped Philury and me to git the house all in order, and prepare for Thanksgiving. I sent out invitations for a party; I laid out to invite all my own dear ones, old and young, Elder Minkley and his wife, Arvilly, and how I did want to invite Ernest White and Waitstill Webb, but he wuz away on a long vacation, and Waitstill I hadn’t hearn from for weeks, she wuz in the Philippines the last I hearn.