But she looked real kinder flustrated and helpless, so I desisted from further remarks at that time, and at ten minutes to nine precisely I got up and lighted our chamber lamps and Josiah wound up the clock, and I sez, “Well, dear, I will go with you to your room.”
She looked at the clock and then at me with a look that a female Hottentot might have if I wuz fastening on skates for her to dash out on to a frozen lake. But she didn’t say anything. And I kinder whispered to her on our way upstairs: “It would disturb your Uncle Josiah for us to set up longer, and you try goin’ to bed early and gettin’ up early for a spell and see what it will do for you,” sez I encouragingly. “I believe it will be just the thing to put some color into your white cheeks and some bright sparkles into your eyes.”
Well, she didn’t demur outwardly, but immediately begun to take her hair down to brush it, and I laid my hand fondly on to them long, golden waves that swep’ down below her waist, and sez I, “I want you to be happy here, and to be happy one has to be healthy,” and I repeated partly to myself and partly to her that invaluable bit of advice:
“Early to bed and early to rise
Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
And then I see that the toilet things wuz all right, plenty of water and towels, and I looked at the little covered glass pitcher with fresh drinking water in it, and see that there wuz matches and candles, etc., and then sez I, “Is there anything else you would like, my dear?”
Well, she sort of hesitated and looked as if most afraid to ask, and then sez, “Well, Aunt Samantha, if you’ve got a piece of mince pie or fruit cake I would like to take a bite. I sometimes have a sort of gnawin’ at my stomach, and Mamma always keeps something rich baked up for me; she thinks it’s strengthening to me to eat rich things, and she always brings up a plateful before I retire, with some cheese, or pickles, or dried beef; I have got into the habit of eating something of the kind, but I don’t like to make you any trouble,” sez she.
“Oh, no trouble at all,” sez I; “some folks can sleep better after takin’ a bite.” And I went down into the buttery feelin’ mad as a hen at Albina Ann and sorry as a dog for Dora. And I took a little pink china bowl full of good night’s milk with a little cream in it, and a slice or two of my good, sweet graham bread, and put ’em on a little Japan tray with a pretty fringed tidy on it, and a bright silver spoon, and when it was all fixed I took it up to her.
Her face fell as she noticed the absence of pickles and pastry. But she thanked me and eat a little of it, and it seemed to taste good, and she finished the hull of it before she got through. And she put on a pretty white nightgown and got into bed, and I bent down and sort of tucked in the light white spread and patted the pillows, and I sez, “You feel pretty good, don’t you?”
And she smiled and sez, “Yes, mom.” But she looked real weak, and I bent down and whispered to her: