We walked round till we got tired and then sot down on a bench by the lake shore, and, bein’ tired, I d’no but we fell into a drowse, ’tennyrate we rested real good. The gentle swash of the waves on the pebbly beach sounded sort o’ soothin’ and refreshin’, jinin’ in as it did with the soft night wind that wuz blowin’ in from the west. Pretty soon the sun went down into the lake that looked as if we might walk away on it clear into Glory if we tried to, and then the stars come out and glistened in the clear sky overhead, and the crescent moon hung in the east like a great silver hammock for angels to lay down in and rest their wings some. And almost simeltaneous with the stars overhead come the lightin’ of a thousand lights around us, behind us, and before us, sparkling, glittering, shining lights of all shapes and colors glancin’ through the evergreen boughs and soft foliage, and hung in long lines of brilliant color from tree to tree. The hotel looked as if it wuz a sea of light inside, and the big tent looked as brilliant as Aladin’s palace, and the long line of little booths on each side looked, too, as if they had been brought from Arabia and sot down there, so strange and brilliant they looked with gorgeous curtains and tables all heaped up with beautiful objects to sell and lights sparklin’ everywhere.
Well, by the time we got rousted up and walkin’ round and viewin’ the seen the music had struck up in a tent by itself, enchantin’ music that seemed to roust up our souls and bodies, too. Pretty girls and handsome wimmen wuz standin’ behind the tables in them little booths sellin’ their wares for the benefit of that Heathen to the brilliant crowd that wuz beginnin’ to fill the walks and tents, a brilliant crowd indeed, for every costoom of every age wuz represented.
And they wuz so beautiful, and the music wuz so soft and enchantin’, that I did wish that Heathen could have looked on that seen that wuz bein’ done for him. I believe it would have shamed him if he had any shame, and he wouldn’t eat up any more missionaries, not for some time, anyway, but then, as I told Josiah, he probable wouldn’t feel to home here and probable wuzn’t dressed decent for the occasion.
And he sez, pintin’ to a woman who wuz walkin’ round locked arms with a man and holdin’ a gold eyeglass to her eye, “I d’no but he would feel to home with her.”
And, as I looked on her, I see my pardner wuz right, her waist wuz jest a mockery of a waist, a belt and a string over her shoulder wuz about all, and her arms bare to her shoulders, only some gloves drawed on part way. I drawed him away at a good jog and walked him into what I thought wuz a place of safety, but, good land! I see I had got him into a worse place by far, for whereas there had been only one female heathen, as you may say, here wuz more than a dozen. I was so took up with the seen that I didn’t realize what wuz about us till I hearn Josiah gin a low chuckle, and I sez:
“What is the matter, Josiah Allen?”
And he sez, “Oh, nothin’.” But as I looked round I see plain what he wuz chucklin’ over, and I hurried him away. As we went, he sez:
“You no need to worried, Samantha, about that naked Heathen not feelin’ to home.”
“Well,” sez I, “they have got clothes enough on from their waist down.” I will stand up for my sect, anyway.