“But when a woman lays holt of life in a noble, earnest way, when she is dutiful, and cheerful, and industrious, God-fearin’, and self-respectin’, though the world sinks, there is a rock under her feet that won’t let her down far enough to hurt her any. If love comes to her to brighten her pathway, so much the better. She will be ready to receive him royally, and keep him when she gets him. Some folks don’t know how to use love worth a cent. But no matter whether she be single or double, I am not afraid of her future.”
“Oh, my!” says Delila Ann, again, “I wouldn’t have my girls miss of marryin’ for nothin.’ Nothin’ in the world looks so lonesome as a woman that haint married.”
Says I, reasonably, “They do have a sort of a one-sided look, I’ll admit, and sort o’ curious at certain times, such as processions and et cetery. But,” I added, almost coldly, for I was about wore out with ’em; “in my opinion, there haint no lonesomeness to be compared to the lonesomeness of the empty-headed and aimless, and no amount of husbands can make up to any woman for the loss of her self-respect. That is my idea, howsumever, everybody to their own mind.”
Whether I did her any good or not, I know not, for my companion arrived almost at that moment, and we departed onto our tower. But whether marks are hit or not, it is sort a-comfortin’ and happyfyin’ to think that there is a pile of arrows somewhere, to bear witness that you have took aim, and fired nobly in the cause of right.
HOW THE BAMBERSES BORROWED JOSIAH.
When we bought our farm there wus a house on it, jist acrost the road from our’n; it wus middlin’ small, and dretful kinder run down and shakey, and I had entirely gin up the idee of enybody’s livin’ there.
But all of a sudden, Josiah started up, and said he was goin’ to fix up that house, and rent it. “He believed he could make piles of money out of it, a-rentin’ it, and he wanted some neighbors.”
Says I, “Josiah Allen, you’d better let well enough alone. You’d better let the whole house stay as it is,” says I, “There is werse neighbors than them that is stayin’ in the old house now.”
“What do you mean, Samantha?” And his eyes showed the whites all round ’em, he was that surprised.