“No,” says he, “he didn’t cure her, she died, but the widower give him the dowery, and he is goin’ to give up docterin’,”
The minute he said “give up docterin’,” the thought come to me: what a chance for Thomas Jefferson! mebby he wouldn’t have to go west; and I felt as if there had been as many as seven flat-irons took offen my heart, and two or three cannon balls, and some lead, and things. I looked at Josiah, and Josiah looked at me, and we both smiled; we couldn’t help it. But better was a comin’, for right while we was a smilin’ the Judge spoke out again in a eloquent, sort of a low tone:
“Whereas Josiah Allen and Samantha his wife, has presented a deed of this house and lot to their daughter and her husband aforesaid, I, the party of the second part, I mean, I, Judge Snow, have purchased of Dr. Bombus his practice, and got a deed of the house and lot adjoinin’ this for you Maggy, and you Thomas Jefferson, and may the Lord have mercy on your souls.”
I s’pose bein’ so agitated, he forgot where he was and thought he was a judgin’, and then he handed the deed to Maggy, and blew his nose hard. As for me, nobody need to ask me how any of ’em behaved, for the minute I see what was a comin’, I almost buried my face in my handkerchief, and sobbed and wept like a infant babe. But through my wrapped blissfulness of mood—for the ear of affection is keen—I could hear my Josiah a blowin’ his nose, and I knew he too was in perfect rapture. Oh! Oh! what a time it was.
JUDGE SNOW’S SURPRISE
But I hadn’t time to weep long in my pure blissfulness of spirit, for Judge Snow proposed we should all walk over and see the house, and he took right holt of my arm and locked arms with me (he meant well, Josiah was right there) and we led the way, and Thomas Jefferson and Maggy a follerin’ as happy as any two turtle doves I ever see, and then Whitfield and Tirzah Ann, and then Josiah and—well, who do you s’pose he was a waitin’ on. What female do you s’pose he was a carryin’ in his arms, and wouldn’t let no one else touch it if he could help it, and kissin’ her right before his lawful pardner too, and she enjoyin’ of it? Who was it? I can’t keep in a minute longer; it was the baby—Tirzah Ann’s little infant babe. I have kep’ still about it; I have held the baby back to surprise the reader and happyfy ’em. And so the hull procession of us walked over the grass, green as green velvet, under the pleasant shade trees, under the little vine covered gate, and so through the other yard jest as green and shady and pleasant, up into the house which was to be my boy’s home.
Bimeby they all went over to Whitfield’s house, to examine sunthin’ or measure sunthin’, for Judge Snow was rampant now about furnishin’ the house right off, so they could git to housekeepin’. And Josiah and I and the baby went out and sot down under a big maple out in the yard. And we sot there happy as a king and queen, knowin’ them we loved best was a goin’ to be right here where we could lay our hands on ’em any time day or night. Come a visitin’ ’em every day if we wanted to, spend the forenoon with one, and the afternoon with the other or anyway to make it agreeable. Oh what a happyfyin’ time it was out there under the maple tree! The baby would kinder nod its head towards their house, and laugh when Josiah would shake it up, jest as if she thought their house was the prettiest. Such a knowledgeable child! I never see the beat of it in my life.
THE BABY
We think, and we know—Josiah and me do—that there never was such a child before. It is only eleven weeks old but its intellect is sunthin’ wonderful to study on. It understands everything that is goin’ on jest as well as I do, and it does have such a cunnin’ look to it, and so sensible. Its eyes are big, and a goin’ to be a sort of grey brown; they have a unworldly, innocent look, sort o’ deep and dreamy, jest as if it could tell if it was a mind to, a awful sight about the world it had come from so lately. Sometimes when there is foolish talk a goin’ on round it, it will kinder curl up its little lip and wink at me with its big solemn eyes, till it fairly scares me to see such a little thing know so much more than any grown folks.