第27章 SEEING THE DIFFERENT SPRINGS(3)

A baby, be he a male, or be he a female child, when he has got a appel in both hands, will try to lay holt of another, if you hold it out to him.It is human nater.Josiah must not be considered as one alone in layin' up more riches than he needed.He suffered, and I also, for sech is the divine law of love, that if one member of the family suffers, the other members suffer also, specially when the sufferin' member is impatient and voyalent is his distress, and talks loud and angry at them who truly are not to blame.

Now I didn't make the springs nor I wuzn't to blame for their bein' discovered in the first place.But Josiah laid it to me.

And though I tried to make him know that it wuz a Injun that discovered 'em first, he wouldn't gin in and seemed to think they wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been for me.

I hated to hear him go on so.And in the cause of Duty, I brung up Sir William Johnson and others.But he lay there on the lounge, and kep' his face turned resolute towards the wall, in a dretful oncomfertable position (sech wuz his temper of mind), and said, he never had heard of them, nor the springs nuther, and shouldn't if it hadn't been for me.

Why, sez I, "A Injun brought Sir William Johnson here on his back.""Wall," sez he, cross as a bear, "that is the way you'll have to take me back, if you go on in this way much longer.""In what way, Josiah?" sez I.

"Why a findin' springs and draggin' a man off to 'em, and makin'

him drink."

"Why, Josiah Allen," sez I, "I told you not to drink - don't you remember?""No! I don't remember nuthin', nor don't want to.I want to go to sleep!" sez he, snappish as anything, so I went out and let him think if he wanted to, that I made the Springs, and the Minerals, and the Gysers, and the Spoutin' Rock, and everything.Good land!

I knew I didn't; but I had to rest under the unkind insinnuation.

Such is some of the trials of pardners.

But Josiah waked up real clever.And I brung him up some delicate warm toast and some fragrant tea, and his smile on me wuz dretful good-natured, almost warm.And I forgot all his former petulence and basked in the rays of love and happiness that beamed on me out of the blue sky of my companion's eyes.The clear blue sky that held two stars, to which my heart turned.

Such is some of the joys of pardners with which the world don't meddle with, nor can't destroy.

But to resoom.Ardelia sot down awhile in our room before she went back to her boardin' house.I see she wuz a writin' for she had a long lead pencil in her right hand and occasionally she would lean her forrerd down upon it, in deep thought, and before she went, she slipped the verses into my hand.

Sez I, a lookin' over my specks at Ardelia after I had finished readin' the verses: "What does 'ron' mean? I never heerd of that word before, nor knew there wuz sech a one."Sez she, "I meant ran, but I s'pose it is a poetical license to say 'ron,' don't you think so?""Oh, yes," sez I, "I s'pose so, I don't know much about licenses, nor don't want to, they are suthin' I never believed in.But,"sez I, for I see she looked red and overcasted by my remarks, "Idon't s'pose it will make any difference in a 100 years whether you say ran or ron."But sez I, "Ardelia, it is a hot day, and I wouldn't write any more if I wuz in your place.If you should heat your bra-, the upper part of your head, you might not get over it for some time.""But," sez she, "you have told me sometimes to stop on account of cold weather.""Wall," sez I, "most any kind of weather is hard on some kinds of poetry." Sez I, "Poetry is sunthin' that takes particular kinds of folks and weather to be successful." Sez I, "It is sunthin'

that can't be tampered with with impunity by Christians or world's people.It is a kind of a resky thing to do, and I wouldn't write any more to-day, Ardelia."And she heard to me and after a settin' a while with us, she went back to Mr.Pixley's.