Well, we had a good deal more of jest such profitable and interestin’ talk as two such great wimmen would naterally, and we parted away from each other with a cordial hand shake and mutual good feelin’. But she called me back and sez she: “I want to give you one word of solemn warnin’ before we part,” and I stopped stun still and listened.
“I don’t know,” sez she, “as you’ll ever be a queen.”
“Well, mebby not,” sez I, “but I am thought a sight on in Jonesville, and there is no knowin’ what may happen.”
“Well,” sez she, “if you ever are a queen, a ruler of a kingdom, don’t let any other nation protect you. Protectin’,” sez she, “has been the ruin of more than one individual and nation.”
And I promised her that I would look out for it if I ever wuz a queen, but reminded her that there wuz times too when it came handy, and saved our necks to be protected, and then I finished, gracefully backin’ out of her presence. I like her first rate, and believe she is a likely woman; I believe she has been lied about, she jest the same as told me she had; if she wuz a woman that took in washin’s for a livin’ there wouldn’t have been so much said about her. Why, it is jest as easy for envious folks to run them high in position and try to demean ’em as it is to fall off a log.
CHAPTER X
Some of the party felt that they couldn’t leave the islands without seein’ the great Kilauea and some didn’t care to go. I felt that I must see it and so did Arvilly, and Josiah looked on me as fondly and proudly as if I myself wuz a volcano and said, “If Samantha goes I shall.” Robert Strong wanted to go and so did Dorothy; Miss Meechim didn’t feel like going and offered to take care of Tommy with the help of Aronette. Elder Wessel wouldn’t go, for Lucia wuzn’t very well and he felt that she had better stay and rest at the tarven, and I spozed that Aronette and Lucia would have a pretty good time, for they always seemed to when they wuz together. Evangeline Noble was visiting some friends of hers on the island. There wuz a smart young English clergyman goin’ with us and a Scotchman, both good lookin’ and good actin’. The Scotchman wuz Sir Duncan Ramsey and didn’t act any more sot up than if he wuz a plain mister. He paid considerable attention to Dorothy, too, but Miss Meechim said that she didn’t worry about Dorothy at all since I would chaperone her, and Robert wuz going to protect her from any possible lover. Sez Miss Meechim: