But while engaged in these purile thoughts while journeyin’ through France his pardner wuz thinkin’ of what we owed the country, and how it sent the flower of its youth and bravery to help us in our troublous time.
I thought of the young Marquis De Lafayette leavin’ his fair France, his ease, his luxury, and his sweetheart, to sail out fur away into the midst of privations and dangers to help a strugglin’ colony to independence.
And then I thought of how another Frenchman, Jacques Cartier, wuz the first white man to navigate our king of rivers, the St. Lawrence. Why, my thoughts soared and sailed along as I thought of them idees, most as surgin’ and deep as that noble river at its widest pint, and my pride and glory in my native land stood up above that sweepin’ current some like its Thousand Islands, only mebby not ornamented off so much as they be with palaces, bridges, cupalos, torchlights, etc., etc.
But I felt dretful riz up. And a-musin’ on Lafayette and the debt we owed France, I wondered if they got in a tussel with England or Russia or etc.—if Uncle Sam would lay to and help her in return.
But I d’no as there is any danger of our havin’ the job, seein’ she has got about six millions of defenders in her army and navy; and we about 20 or 30 thousand.
Queer, hain’t it, when the United States is so much bigger than she is?
But the fact speaks well for our republic and all the law-makers, from its President and Governors down to its Pathmasters and School Trustees.
In Havre, Alice wuz some interested in seein’ the birthplace of Sara Bernhardt. She had seen her act, and they do say, though she is considerable bony in figger and gittin’ along in years, she is a marvel of grace, and acts out all sorts of lives, and dies so nateral that you’d almost appint the day for her funeral and pick out her barriers.
I don’t spoze I could ever git to be nigh so graceful as she is, and Josiah don’t think I can; he wuz real sot on it when we talked it over.
