“Oh, I don’t feel as though I could go right against his wishes. I have done everything I could to hold his love.”
“You have done too much,” sez I coolly. “And now, Elinor Pogram, do you brace up and have a little gumption. Get right onto your wheel and go out into the sweet air and sunlight; and if you meet Louis Arnold, jest nod at him cool as a cowcumber, and go right on and foller it up next day and next, or as long as good weather lasts.
“I believe you rusted and tired out your faculties bendin’ over your fine work from day to day, and he didn’t find your companionship exhilaratin’ and inspirin’ at all. He is a bright chap,” sez I, “you know, and he will seek bright, inspirin’ company.”
She looked up gratefully as I abused her and excused Louis, in a real womanly way, and left the room to put on her short bicycle rig. It wuz dark blue braided with white, and a coquettish little white cap with some black feathers stuck up real cute on one side, and she looked as pretty as a pink—a white pink—and real cunnin’ as she sot off. Well, she come back lookin’ perter considerable; she hadn’t met Louis, but she had met the sunshine and soft autumn air, and they had invigorated her.
The next mornin’ I went with her, at her request, to git the books and presents I had named, and, at my request, they wuz locked up at 12 M., and backaches and eye-smarts and fevered anxieties and pricked finger-ends with ’em. And at 3 P. M. she sot off agin on her wheel. This time she come back lookin’ considerable white around her lips, but her eyes bright and cheeks rosy, after all; she had met Louis and done what I told her, and left him in such a state of complete stupefication she wuz alarmed about him. Sez she anxiously, “His looks wuz so wonder-struck and alarmed that I fear for his safety; I fear that he may be led to extreme lengths,” sez she.
“Wuz he on his wheel?” sez I.
“Yes,” she replied, “he wuz on his wheel, and the picture of health and strength.”
“And so will you be,” sez I, “now you have laid aside your eye-harrowin’, nerve-destroyin’ needle-work; and when I say this, understand distinctly that I might applaud, though I pitied, your work if it earned you your livelihood. But in your case it is needless, and so I have said lay it aside; there is no fear but that you will perform all the domestic duties you ort to, for it is in your nater, and you will resoom your music and books, for you will want to get brightness from them; but be out, care-free, under the blue heavens all you can. Respect yourself, and insist on bein’ respected. Be thoughtful of Louis’ rights, and insist on his bein’ thoughtful of yours; respect his opinions so fur as you can consistently; but as for his selfishness and whims, git onto your wheel and ride right through ’em. If you are to walk through life together, stand up straight by his side; don’t crouch at his feet doin’ drawn-work and tattin’ all your days; he will like you enough sight better. If you find him worthy, and you are to be his wife, make his home the most delightful place on earth—a clean, sweet restin’-place from the toils of life and a shelter from its storms; but don’t burn up your own individuality as incense before him; keep it to make his home more charmin’ than any other. Make him love you for your sweet love and care for him; make him admire you for your thought and care for yourself; use a lot of common sense in the receipt of married life, and mejumness, use that lavish, and you’ll git along first rate.”
Well, they urged me to stay a week or so; and Josiah havin’ bizness to ’tend to right there, we gin consent. Elinor kep’ on jest as I had planned, and stimulated by the example of plain common sense right before her eyes, Fidelia braced up and began to use some common sense and some mejumness herself. She spoke out of her own accord one afternoon, and sez she: