“What for a lookin' place was paradise?” And then follered 800 questions about paradise. Josiah sweat, and offered to let the boy come back, and set with me. He had insisted, when we started from the meetin'-house, on havin' the boy set on the front seat between him and Ury.
But I demurred about any change, and leaned back, and eat a sweet apple. I don't think it is wrong Sundays to eat a sweet apple. And the boy kep' on.
“What did Adam fall off of? Did he fall out of the apple-tree?”
“No, no! he fell because he sinned.”
But the boy went right on, in a tone of calm conviction,—
“No big man would be apt to fall a walking right along. He fell out of the apple-tree.”
And then he says, after a minute's still thought,—
“I believe, if I had been there, and had a string round Adam's leg, I could kep' him from fallin' off;—and say, where was the Lord? Couldn't He have kept him? say, couldn't He?”
“Yes: He can do any thing.”
“Wall, then, why didn't He?”