I, myself, didn’t have no idee that Josiah wuz a goin’ to die. But Ardelia whispered to me, she must go back to the hotel, so she went. I see she looked kinder strange, and I didn’t object to it. And when we got back she handed me some verses entitled:
“Stanzas on the death of Josiah Allen.”
She handed ’em to me, and hastened away, quick. But Josiah Allen didn’t die. And this incident made him more megum. More as I wanted him to be. Why, you have to be megum in everything, no matter how good it is. Milk porridge, or the Bible, or anything. You can kill yourself on milk porridge if you drink enough. And you can set down and read the Bible, till you grow to your chair, and lose your eyesight.
Now these waters are dretful good, but you have got to use some megumness with ’em, it stands to reason you have. Taint megum to drink from 10 to 12 glasses at a time, and mix your drinks goin’ round from spring to spring like a luny. No; get a good doctor to tell you what minerals you seem to stand in need on the most, and then try to get ’em with fear and tremblin’. You’ll get help I haint a doubt on’t. For they are dretful good for varius things that afflict the human body. Dretful!
These are the verses of Ardelia:
“STANZAS ON THE DEATH OF JOSIAH ALLEN.
“Oh! angel man that erst did live and move,
Thy wings close furled within a broad cloth vest,
With cambric back, oh, soul of love
That in those depths reposed—Alas why wrest
Why wildly tear,
“Oh death, that soul, white nigh upon as snow,
From body, small perhaps, by stillyards weighed,
And full as light complexioned, as men go,
As is the common run of men, arrayed,
Oh yes, arrayed,
“In graces full he wentest to his fate,
His doom wuz pure as men’s dooms ever are;
Not by the brandy bottle fell he desolate
No, by sweet water fell he, with a noble air,
And breath of balm,
“Not with a feud with neighbor foe he fell
Nor scaffolds did he tread with aching feet
Nor arson he, nor rapine down the dell,
No, pure white soul, he fell by water sweet;
All innocent.
“Had whisky strong his slight form overthrew—
We’d weep with finger hiding all our face,
To think a sling should slung at him and slew,
But no, by water fell he, no disgrace—
No direful shame.
“Rests on his tomb, his bride; the world around,
Methinks a world might wish to fall like him
The prophets of old time who smiled and frowned
Could court such fate, we feel Abim—
We feel Abim—
“ilek, or Job, might be content to die
With crystal water, drunken from a glass,
Held by a boy, and no great quantitie
Drunk he, not over nine in all, alas,
Or ten, or ’leven.
“Oh, spring, oh, magnesie percipitate
And sodium and iron—and everything,
Methinks ye’ll sadder feel, since his sad fate
Who drunk thee up, not thinking anything—
We do suppose—
“Not anything of poison ye might keep
Might hold within thy crystal foaming breast
Why did he not the other spring drink deep,
And live? But oh! why ask? sweet angel spirit rest
From water far.
“Dear man, we raise this mound of verse o’er thee,
Would that ’twere higher, and more fiery bright.
We will, we will, while nations disagree,
Sit down and write as many as it seemeth right
Unto his wife.”
On the other side of the paper, as if wrote later, wuz the follerin’ lines. Ardelia is truthful. This is her strong point, that and her ambition.
“MY OWN LAY ON A SPRING.
“BV ARDELIA TUTT.
“Oh who can tell when air is full of warn
What crystal drop shall speed us to our fate,
And I alas, so blind, shall still drink on,
Shall drink thee early, and shall drink thee late
From every spring.
“Shall drink as many glasses as I hold,
One quart, or two, as fate shall thus decree,
Some are but vessels weak, some bold
And dauntless, hold from two quarts up to three,
Or thereabouts.
“Shall drink from wells all gemmed with crystal rays
With golden sheen, up sparkling to the rim,
And that is pure and clear to outward gaze
With hathorn bending gently o’er the brim
And every sort.”
Chapter XVI.
AT A LAWN PARTY.
Wall, the very next mornin’ Miss Flamm sent word for Josiah and me to come that night to a lawn party. And I sez at once, “I must go and get some lawn.”