JOSIAH’S SECRET.
But oh! how I kep’ s’posen things, as he lifted me out right in front of the pole, and left me there alone.
Josiah had business on his mind and it made him more worrysome; but I didn’t know what it was till afterwards. As I was a goin’ up the store steps I kinder looked back, and I see him take that bundle out of the wagon in a dretful sly way, and kinder meach off with it. I didn’t like the looks of things; he acted guilty, strange, and curious.
As I went into the store, I see sister Minkley up to the counter by the front winder, and I was glad to see her. The store was a big one and quite a lot of men was goin’ up and votin’. But good land! there wasn’t nothin’ frightful about it, I’ve seen three times as many men together, time and again. I wasn’t skairt a mite, nor sister Minkley wasn’t nuther. Two men was a swearin’, some, as I went in, but we heerd ’em swear as hard again 4th of July’s and common days; but the minute they catched sight of sister Minkley and me, they stopped off right in the middle of a swear, and looked as mild as protracted meetin’s, and took up some sticks and went to whittlin’ as peaceable as two sheeps.
Sister Minkley said she shouldn’t thought she could have come out that day, she had such a cold in her head, if her husband hadn’t urged her so, to come on his business. His heart seemed to be so sot on Kentucky Jane—
“Jane who?” says I in awful axents, for I couldn’t hardly believe my ears—my faith in that man’s morals was so high, it was like a steeple to my soul, and always had been ever sense I had known him—and I thought to myself if I have got to give up Elder Wesley Minkley, if his morals have got to totterin’ and swayin’ to and fro, a tottlin’ off after Janes and other wimmen, and if he is mean enough to send his wife off after ’em, I declare for’t I don’t know but I shall mistrust my Josiah. I know I looked wild and glarin’ out of my eyes, and horror was on my mean, as I asked her again in still more stern tones:
“Jane who?” For I was determined to get to the bottom of the affair, and if worst come to worst, to lay it before the meetin’ house myself, and have it stopped, and hushed up, before it got out amongst the world’s people, to bring a shame onto the meetin’ house, and them that belonged to it. And then as a woman that had a vow on her in the cause of Right, I felt it my duty to look out for Jane, and if there was any hopes of reformin’ her, to befriend her. And so I says in tones that would be replied to:
“Jane who?”
“Why Kentucky Jane for overhauls, he thought my judgment on Janes was better than hisen.”
“Oh!” says I in dretful relieved tones, for my heart would have sung for joy if it had understood the notes, it was that joyful, and thankful. Says I, “They have got a piece here that wears like iron, Josiah has got a frock offen it.”