“Manny!” sez he, “how would manny show off by the side of this dressin’?” and he took another spunful.
I spoze my dressin’ duz go ahead of most, though it hain’t made me hauty. Well, how happy everybody wuz; how good they looked to me and I to them, I knew it by their liniments. How the children doted on me and their Pa, how dear little Tommy hung round us. How softened down Arvilly wuz by her happiness in havin’ Waitstill back agin, but still she kep’ her faculties from rustin’, and sold two books that day for presents, and one to Elder Minkley for a Sabbath School prize.
How adorable Waitstill looked in her pretty cashmere gown of pale violet color with white roses at her bosom and belt, she had throwed off her black as a reasonable widder should, I never approved of mournin’ for one man whilst weddin’ another, that is mournin’ in public in crape and weeds. I don’t believe she had a black rag on her, she might you know if she had been sly have put a black bindin’ on her petticoat or a black pocket. I remember the Widder Doodle did, but I never approved of it. No, mournin’ weeds are right in their place, and orange blossoms in theirn, but I never believed in mixin’ the two.
Down deep in Waitstill’s heart, hid from every eye but the one who made that heart, wuz a place where her thought must retire into now and then and weep. Yes, I knowed that whilst her loyal love and respect and reverence wuz all given to the man she loved, who wuz strong, her thought would anon or oftener have to go into that sombry room and weep for the young lover who wuz weak, but whose weakness would never have blossomed into crime had not his country hung the Sodom apple before his eyes and his 465 weak appetite yielded to it, had overthrown the labor and efforts of years, tempted him with low temptations that had been stronger than love, stronger than religion, stronger than life. All his life long he had fought against inherited tastes as they fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, and he would have come off conqueror had it not been for licensed evils and the weaknesses in high and low places that permitted it to be.
Yes, into that closely locked, sombry chamber I knowed that Waitstill would go alone and stay there for quite a spell. But after a time I mistrusted the sweet peace and happiness of her life would be such that she would go seldomer and make shorter visits when she did go. And its black gloom would be lighted by tones of living love and gleams of light and warmth from tender eyes. And I hoped that the time would come when dimpled baby fingers would gently bar the doorway and she wouldn’t go there to stay for any length of time.
Well, the happy company stayed till nine p.m., when they departed with many pleasant and loving words, I being thankful every minute of the time, even when I see ’em drive off. You know sometimes as glad as you are to have company, and as well as you like ’em, you are kinder glad to set down quiet, and think over all the happy time, and rest your head.
Well, the next day after Thanksgivin’, early in the afternoon, Josiah said he had got to go over to Jonesville, and proposed that I should ride over with him. He said the mair kinder needed shuein’, and sez he, “We might bring Tommy home with us, for there wuzn’t any school Saturday, and he could stay over Sunday with us.”
It duz seem now as if we can’t help settin’ a little more store by Tommy than we do by the other grandchildren. But it better not be told I said it, it would make feelin’s amongst the rest.
Well, we made lovely calls on the children, and got 466 Tommy, who wuz more than willin’ to come, and returned home about ten a.m., Tommy settin’ between us and drivin’ the mair, Thomas J. and Maggie sayin’ they would drive over Sunday night after him and take tea with us.
We stopped at the post-office, and Tommy run in and got three letters for me, two on ’em which I opened and read when I first got home, whilst Josiah and Tommy drove over to Deacon Henzy’s on a errent. As I say I read two on ’em, but of the third one more anon. One of my letters wuz from Cousin John Richard, who had gone back to Victor workin’ for his Lord in his own appointed way, teachin’ the young, comfortin’ the aged, and exhortin’ the strong, helpin’ to bear the burdens of the weak, and doin’ it all in the name of Him who is invisible, waitin’ patient till the summons should be sent him to go home to his own land, for the Bible sez that “them that do such things show plainly that they seek a country.”