Sez I, “Don’t go in that spirit, Josiah Allen.”
“Wall, I shall go in jest that sprit,” he snapped out, “if I go at all.” And he went.
But oh! it wuz a sight to set and look on, and see the look onto his face, as he picked the innocent blossoms. It wuz a look of such deep loathin’, and hatred, combined with a sort of a genteel, fashionable air.
Altogether it wuz the most curius, and strange look, that I ever see outside of a menagery of wild animals. And he had that same look onto his face as he came in and gin ’em to me. He had yanked’em all up by their roots too, which made the Bokay look more strange. But I accepted of it in silence, for I see by his mean that he wuz not in a condition to brook another word.
And I trembled when a bystander a standin’ by who wuz arrangin’ a beautiful bunch of ’em, a handlin’ ’em as flowers ort to be handled, as if they had a soul, and could feel a rough or tender touch,—this man sez to Josiah, “I see that you too love this beautiful blossom.”
I wuz glad the man’s eyes wuz riveted onto his Bokay, for the ferocity of Josiah Allen’s look wuz sunthin’ fearful. He looked as if he could tear him lim’ from lim’.
And I hastily drawed Josiah to a seat at the other end of the car, and voyalently, but firmly, I drawed his attention off onto Religion.
I sez, “Josiah, do you believe we had better paint the steeple of the meetin’-house, white or dark colered?”
This wuz a subject that had rent Jonesville to its very twain. And Josiah had been fearfully exercised on it. And this plan of mine succeeded. He got eloquent on it, and I kinder held off, and talked offish, and let him convince me.
I did it from principle.