CHAPTER EIGHT
IN WHICH MR. POMPER DECLARES HIS INTENSHUNS AN’ GIVES HIS VIEWS ON MATRIMONY
As our party sort o’ swep’ gracefully down into the hall, we thought we would step outdoors for a minute for a breath of fresh air. It looked gay and almost fairy-like out there. The two broad piazzas wuz all lit up with colored lights and baskets of posies hung down between ’em full of bloom, and the broad piazzas and wide flight of steps leadin’ up to ’em wuz full of folks in bright array, walkin’ and talkin’ and laughin’ makin’ the seen more fair and picture-like. And in front wuz the long grassy lawn with its gay flower beds, and the long walk down to the wharf all sparklin’ with lights, and beyend, in front of it all, lay the deep river, with its sighin’ voice borne in on the stillness, jest as in the hearts of every one of that throng, way back beyend the gayety and sparklin’ mirth lay the deep sea of their own inner life, with its melancholy 126 hantin’ memories, its sighin’ complainin’ voices, its deeps that nobody else could fathom.
And while we stood there, I wrapped in reverie and a gray zephyr shawl, a broad beam of light wuz cast from somewhere fur off, shinin’ full and square first one side then the other side of the river. Nearer and nearer it seemed to be comin’ towards us, and wherever that light fell a picture wuz brung quick as a flash of lightnin’ out of the darkness.
It seemed some like the day of Judgment shinin’ through the darkness of men’s lives and bringin’ out the hidden things. Way out in the distance where nothin’ could be seen but blackness and shadows, the beam would fall and a island would stand out plain before us, houses with men and wimmen on the piazzas, a boat house, a boat with men and wimmen and children in it. You could see for one dazzlin’ minute the color of their garments, and the motion of their hands and arms, then the sea of darkness would engulf ’em agin, and on the nigh side out of the darkness would shine out a vision of the shore with trees standin’ up green and stately, and you could see the color of leaf and bough and almost the flutter of their leaves. A green lawn, rosy flower beds, a pretty cottage, 127 faces at the windows, agin darkness swallowed it up, and broad and brilliant the great shaft of light lay on the blackness, and on the shinin’ water fur ahead a boat stood out vivid. Its white sail shone, the young man at the helm with uplifted head wuz wavin’ a greetin’, the girl in the other end of the boat looked like a picture in her broad hat and white wrap, and beyend ’em and all round ’em, wuz little boats, and fur ahead a big steamer.
Anon it wuz turned sideways, and a dark mysterious craft wuz seen sailin’ by mysteriously, one of the big lake vessels goin’ I know not where. Anon a dazzlin’ flash swep’ right across us, bringin’ Faith and me and my pardner out into almost blindin’ relief, his bald head shinin’ in the foreground, his cravat gleamin’ almost blindin’ly, and with music and bright light shinin’ from the cabin winders, and decks loaded with gay passengers, the Search Light Steamer swep’ up to the wharf.
The ball had not yet arrove at its hite when we entered the festivious hall, so we readily found seats in a commogious corner. On one side on me wuz my pardner, on the off side sot Faith in her serene beauty. In front of me and on each side the gay crowd of dancers. 128
Pretty young girls arrayed in every color of the rain-bow. Handsome young men, ditto homely ones, little children as pretty as posies with their white dresses and white silk stockin’s and slippers dancin’ as gayly as any of the rest, all on ’em big and little, graceful and awkward, swingin’, turnin’, glidin’ along, swingin’, turnin’, all keepin’ time to the sweet swayin’ tones of the music, music that seemed sometimes to bear my soul off some distance away and swing it round and dance with it a spell, and then whirl it back agin to the Present and Josiah. It wuz a queer time, but very riz up and enjoyable in spite of some little sharp twinges that come anon or oftener, which might have been conscience, but which I tried to lay off onto rumatiz.
Two wimmen wuz talkin’ near us, sez one of ’em, “There he goes agin, see him prancin’ round.” And she motioned to a young chap I’d noticed who seemed to be the most indefatigable dancer in the hull lot, and his face wuz determined lookin’, as if his hull life depended on gallopin’ round the room, and as if he never wuz goin’ to stop.
“See him,” sez the woman, “that young man’s father and grand-father would have 129 swooned away if they’d thought that any of their kin would dance.”