Around the World with Josiah Allen's Wife by Marietta Holley (ebook reader android txt) 📖

Well, we reached Chicago with no further coincidence and put up to a big hotel kep’ by Mr. and Miss Parmer. It seems that besides all the money I had been provided with, Thomas J. had gin a lot of money to Miss Meechim to use for me if she see me try to stent myself any, and he had gin particular orders that we should go to the same hotels they did and fare jest as well, so they wanted to go to the tarven kep’ by Mr. Parmerses folks, and we did.

I felt real kinder mortified to think that I didn’t pay no attention to Mr. and Miss Parmer; I didn’t see ’em at all whilst I wuz there. But I spoze she wuz busy helpin’ her hired girls, it must take a sight of work to cook for such a raft of folks, and it took the most of his time to provide.

Well, we all took a long ride round Chicago; Miss Meechim wanted to see the most she could in the shortest time. So we driv through Lincoln Park, so beautiful as to be even worthy of its name, and one or two other beautiful parks and boolevards and Lake Shore drives. And we went at my request to see the Woman’s Temperance Building; I had got considerable tired by that time, and, oh, how a woman’s tired heart longs for the only true rest, the heart rest of love. As we went up the beautiful, open-work alleviator, I felt, oh, that this thing was swinging me off to Jonesville, acrost the waste of sea and land. But immegiately the thought come “Duty’s apron-strings,” and I wuz calm agin.

But all the time I wuz there talkin’ to them noble wimmen, dear to me because they’re tacklin’ the most needed work under the heavens, wagin’ the most holy war, and 35 tacklin’ it without any help as you may say from Uncle Sam, good-natered, shiftless old creeter, well meanin’, I believe, but jest led in blinders up and down the earth by the Whiskey Power that controls State and Church to-day, and they may dispute it if they want to, but it is true as the book of Job, and fuller of biles and all other impurities and tribulations than Job ever wuz, and heaven only knows how it is goin’ to end.

But to resoom backwards. Lofty and inspirin’ wuz the talks I had with the noble ones whose names are on the list of temperance here and the Lamb’s Book of Life. How our hearts burnt within us, and how the “blest tie that binds” seemed to link us clost together; when, alas! in my soarinest moments, as I looked off with my mind’s eye onto a dark world beginnin’ to be belted and lightened by the White Ribbon, my heart fell almost below my belt ribbin’ as I thought of one who had talked light about my W. T. C. U. doin’s, but wuz at heart a believer and a abstainer and a member of the Jonesville Sons of Temperance.

A little later we stood and looked on one of the great grain elevators, histin’ up in its strong grip hull fields of wheat and corn at a time. Ah! among all the wonderin’ and awe-struck admiration of them about me, how my mind soared off on the dear bald head afar, he who had so often sowed the spring and reaped the autumn ears on the hills and dales of Jonesville, sweet land! dear one! when should I see thee again?

And as we walked through one of the enormous stock yards, oh! how the bellerin’ of them cattle confined there put me in mind of the choice of my youth and joy of my middle age. Wuz he too bellerin’ at that moment, shet up as he wuz by environin’ circumstances from her he worshipped.

And so it went on, sad things put me in mind of him and joyful things, all, all speakin’ of him, and how, how wuz I to brook the separation? But I will cease to harrow the 36 reader’s tender bosom. Dry your tears, reader, I will proceed onwards.

The next day we sot off for California, via Salt Lake and Denver.

Jest as we left the tarven at Chicago our mail wuz put in our hands, forwarded by the Jonesville postmaster accordin’ to promise; but not a word from my pardner, roustin’ up my apprehensions afresh. Had his fond heart broken under the too great strain? Had he passed away callin’ on my name?

My tears dribbled down onto my dress waist, though I tried to stanch ’em with my snowy linen handkerchief. Tommy’s tears, too, began to fall, seein’ which I grabbed holt of Duty’s black apron-strings and wuz agin calm on the outside, and handed Tommy a chocolate drop (which healed his woond), although on the inside my heart kep’ on a seethin’ reservoir of agony and forbodin’s.

The next day, as I sot in my comfortable easy chair on the car, knittin’ a little, tryin’ to take my mind offen trouble and Josiah, Tommy wuz settin’ by my side, and Miss Meechim and Dorothy nigh by. Aronette, like a little angel of Help, fixin’ the cushions under our feet, brushin’ the dust offen her mistresses dresses, or pickin’ up my stitches when in my agitation or the jigglin’ of the cars I dropped ’em, and a perfect Arabian Night’s entertainer to Tommy, who worshipped her, when I hearn a exclamation from Tommy, and the car door shet, and I looked round and see a young man and woman advancin’ down the isle. They wuz a bridal couple, that anybody could see. The blessed fact could be seen in their hull personality––dress, demeanor, shinin’ new satchels and everything, but I didn’t recognize ’em till Tommy sez:

“Oh, grandma, there is Phila Henzy and the man she married!”

Could it be? Yes it wuz Phila Ann Henzy, Philemon Henzy’s oldest girl, named for her pa and ma, I knew she 37 wuz married in Loontown the week before. I’d hearn on’t, but had never seen the groom, but knew he wuz a young chap she had met to the Buffalo Exposition, and who had courted her more or less ever sence. They seemed real glad to see me, though their manners and smiles and hull demeanors seemed kinder new, somehow, like their clothes. They had hearn from friends in Jonesville that I wuz on my way to California, and they’d been lookin’ for me. Sez the groom, with a fond look on her:

“I am so glad we found you, for Baby would have been so disappointed if we hadn’t met you.”

Baby! Phila Ann wuz six feet high if she wuz a inch, but good lookin’ in a big sized way. And he wuz barely five feet, and scrawny at that; but a good amiable lookin’ young man. But I didn’t approve of his callin’ her Baby when she could have carried him easy on one arm and not felt it. The Henzys are all big sized, and Ann, her ma, could always clean her upper buttery shelves without gittin’ up in a chair, reach right up from the floor.

But he probable had noble qualities if he wuz spindlin’ lookin’, or she couldn’t adore him as she did. Phila Ann jest worshipped him I could see, and he her, visey versey. Sez she, with a tender look down onto him:

“Yes, I’ve been tellin’ pa how I did hope we should meet you.”

Pa! There wuz sunthin’ else I didn’t approve of; callin’ him pa, when the fact that they wuz on their bridal tower wuz stomped on ’em both jest as plain as I ever stomped a pat of butter with clover leaves. But I didn’t spoze I could do anything to help or hender, for I realized they wuz both in a state of delirium or trance. But I meditated further as I looked on, it wouldn’t probable last no great length of time. The honeymoon would be clouded over anon or before that. The clouds would clear away agin, no doubt, and the sun of Love shine out permanent if their affection for each other wuz cast-iron and sincere. But the light of this 38 magic moon I knew would never shine on ’em agin. The light of that moon makes things look dretful queer and casts strange shadders onto things and folks laugh at it but no other light is so heavenly bright while it lasts. I think so and so duz Josiah.

But to resoom forwards. The groom went somewhere to send a telegram and Phila sot down by me for a spell; their seat wuz further off but she wanted to talk with me. She wuz real happy and confided in me, and remarked “What a lovely state matrimony is.”

And I sez, “Yes indeed! it is, but you hain’t got fur enough along in marriage gography to bound the state on all sides as you will in the future.”

But she smiled blissful and her eyes looked fur off in rapped delight (the light of that moon shin’ full on her) as she said:

“What bliss it is for me to know that I have got sunthin’ to lean on.”

And I thought that it would be sad day for him if she leaned her hull heft, but didn’t say so, not knowin’ how it would be took.

I inquired all about the neighbors in Jonesville and Zoar and Loontown, and sez I, “I spoze Elder White is still doin’ all he can for that meetin’ house of hisen in Loontown, and I inquired particular about him, for Ernest White is a young man I set store by. He come from his home in Boston to visit his uncle, the banker, in East Loontown. He wuz right from the German university and college and preachin’ school, and he wuz so rich he might have sot down and twiddled his thumbs for the rest of his days. But he had a passion for work––a passion of pity for poor tempted humanity. He wanted to reach down and try to lift up the strugglin’ ‘submerged tenth.’ He wuz a student and disciple of Ruskin, and felt that he must carry a message of helpfulness and beauty into starved lives. And, best of all, he wuz a follower of Jesus, who went about doin’ good. 39 When his rich family found that he would be a clergyman they wanted to git him a big city church, and he might have had twenty, for he wuz smart as a whip, handsome, rich, and jest run after in society. But no; he said there wuz plenty to take those rich fat places; he would work amongst the poor, them who needed him.”

East Loontown is a factory village, and the little chapel was standin’ empty for want of funds, but twenty saloons wuz booming, full of the operatives, who spent all of their spare time and most of their money there. So Ernest White stayed right there and preached, at first to empty seats and a few old wimmen, but as they got to know him, the best young men and young wimmen went, and he filled their hearts with aspiration and hope and beauty and determination to help the world. Not being contented with what he wuz doing he spent half his time with the factory hands, who wuz driven to work