As I said this, I rose up in almost fearful dignity, and sailed away from the table up to my room.
As I opened the door I heard a dreadful curious noise, a kind of a gurglin’ gushin’ sound, and when I opened the door, of all the freshets I ever see, I had forgot to turn back the little screw, and the water was a gushin’ out all over. Jonothen Beans’es ex wife, happened to come along jest then, and she sent up a nigger with a mop, and a lot of cloths, and I turned to, and helped him, she told me not to, but says I,
“Josiah Allen’s wife haint one to shirk when there is work to do,” and says I, “you tell Miss Aster, after I get through here, I had jest as lives come down and help her wash up the breakfast dishes as not,” says I, lookin’ thoughtfully at my overskirt, “I don’t really want to put my hands into the dish water on account of my dress, but I had jest as lives wipe ’em as not.”
But J. Beans’es ex wife said there wasn’t no need of my helpin’, and so after I got my room all slicked up and my bed made (she told me to leave my bed, but I wusn’t goin’ to act so slack) I sot down a minute to rest, before I set sail in the cause of Right.
I was jest a thinkin’ that Betsey Bobbet was safe in the house of mournin’, and there was a sweet and satisfied smile on my face, as I thought it, when all of a sudden the door opened, and in she walked. My heart sunk pretty near ½ an inch. But I ketched holt of my principles, and says I,
“What is the matter Betsey?” For she looked as if she had been cryin’ her eyes out. “Is your cousin no more? has Ebineezah suicided himself?”
“No moah!” says she in a indignant tone. “She is gettin’ well, and Ebineezah is as happy as a king about it, she has been takin’ cod liveh oil, and “Cherry Pectorial,” and they have cured her, I hate Cherry Pectorial, and cod liveh oil, they are nasty stuffs.”
Says I, in a insinuatin’ tone, “you are goin’ back there haint you?”
“No!” says she indignantly, “I won’t stir a step back, they are so tickled about her gettin’ bettah, that they don’t use me with no respect at all.” And there was a tear in her eye as she added in sorrowful tones, “Ebineezah told me that if it hadn’t been for that cod liveh oil, he should have been a widowah, and a lonely man to-day. No!” says she takin’ off her hat and throwin’ it in a angry fierce way onto the bed, “I won’t stir a step back, I won’t stay anotheh minute in the same house with cod liver oil, I perfectly despise it.”
I see there was no use a arguin’ with her, the arrow had struck too deep, I see my fate, Betsey had got to accompany me on my high and lofty mission. For a minute I thought wildly of escape, of gettin’ her out of the room on some errent for a minute, and then tyin’ the sheets together and lowerin’ myself down from the winder. But better feelin’s rose inside of me, Betsey was a human bein’, I, belonged to the meetin’ house. All these nobler emotions tied up my tongue, I said nothin’ but I turned and concluded the wild tumult of my feelin’s, by takin’ the gingham case off’en my umberell I was goin’ to carry with me, and puttin’ on my bunnet we started out for our promenade.