第58章 LAKE GEORGE AND MOUNT McGREGOR(1)

It wuz on a nice pleasant day that Ardelia Tuit, Josiah Allen, and me, met by previous agreement quite early in the mornin', A.

M., and sot out for Lake George.It is so nigh, that you can step onto the cars, and go out and see George any time of day.

It seemed to me jest as if George wuz glad we had come, for there wuz a broad happy smile all over his face, and a sort of a dimplin'

look, as if he wanted to laugh right out.All the beckonin' shores and islands, with their beautiful houses on 'em, and the distant forests, and the trees a bendin' over George, all seemed to sort a smile out a welcome to us.We had a most beautiful day, and got back quite late in the afternoon, P.M.

And the next day, a day heavenly calm and fair, Josiah Allen and me sot sail for Mount McGregor -- that mountain top that is lifted up higher in the hearts of Americans than any other peak on the continent -- fur higher.For it is the place where the memory of a Hero lays over all the peaceful landscape like a inspiration and a benediction, and will rest there forever.

The railroad winds round and round the mountain sometimes not seemin'ly goin' up at all, but gradually a movin' in' on towards the top, jest as this brave Hero did in his career.If some of the time he didn't seem to move on, or if some of the time he seemed to go back for a little, yet there wuz a deathless fire inside on him, a power, a strength that kep' him a goin' up, up, up, and drawin' the nation up with him onto the safe level ground of Victory.

We got pleasant glimpses of beauty, pretty pictures on't, every little while as we wended our way on up the mountains.Anon we would go round a curve, a ledge of rocks mebby, and lo! far off a openin' through the woods would show us a lovely picture of hill and dell, blue water and blue mountains in the distance.And then a green wood picture, shut in and lonely, with tall ferns, and wild flowers, and thick green grasses under the bendin'

trees.Then fur down agin' a picture of a farmhouse, sheltered and quiet, with fields layin' about it green and golden.

But anon, we reached the pretty little lonesome station, and there we wuz on top of Mount McGregor.We disembarked from the cars and wended our way up the hill up the windin' foot path, wore down by the feet of pilgrims from every land, quite a tegus walk though beautiful, up to the good-lookin', and good appearin'

tarven.

I would fain have stopped at that minute at the abode the Hero had sanctified by his last looks.But my companion said to me that he wuz in nearly a starvin' state.Now it wuzn't much after 11 A.M.forenoon, and I felt that he would not die of starvation so soon.But his looks wuz pitiful in the extreme and he reminded me in a sort of a weak voice that he didn't eat no breakfast hardly.

I sez truthfully, "I didn't notice it, Josiah." But sez I, "Iwill accompany you where your hunger can be slaked." So we went straight up to the tarven.

But I would stop a minute in front of it, to see the lovely, lovely seen that wuz spread out before our eyes.For fur off could we see milds and milds of the beautiful country a layin'

fur below us.Beautiful landscape, dotted with crystal lakes, laved by the blue Hudson and bordered by the fur-away mountains.

It wuz a fair seen, a fair seen.Even Josiah wuz rousted up by it, and forgot his hunger.I myself wuz lost in the contemplation on it, and entirely by the side of myself.So much so, that Iforgot where I wuz, and whether I wuz a wife or a widow, or what I wuz.

But anon, as my senses came back from the realm of pure beauty they had been a traversin', I recollected that I wuz a wife, that Providence and Elder Minkley had placed a man in my hands to take care on; and I see he wuz gone from me, and I must look him up.

And I found that man in one of the high tallish lookin' swing chairs that wuz a swingin' from high poles all along the brow of the hill.They looked some like a stanchol for a horse, and some like a pair of galluses that criminals are hung on.

Josiah wuzn't able to work it right and it did require a deep mind to get into one without peril.And he wuz on the brink of a catastrophe.I got him out by siezin' the chair and holdin'

it tight, till he dismounted from it -- which he did with words unadapted to the serenity of the atmosphere.And then we went out the broad pleasant door-yard up into the tarven, and my companion got some coffee, and some refreshments, to refresh ourselves with.And then he, feelin' clever and real affectionate to me (owin' partly I s'pose to the good dinner), we wended our way down to the cottage where the Hero met his last foe and fell victorious.

We went up the broad steps onto the piazza, and I looked off from it, and over all the landscape under the soft summer sky, lay that same beautiful tender inspired memory.It lay like the hush that follows a prayer at a dyin' bed.Like the glow that rests on the world when the sun has gone down in glory.Like the silence full of voices that follows a oriter's inspired words.

The air, the whole place, thrilled with that memory, that presence that wuz with us, though unseen to the eyes of our spectacles.It followed us through the door way, it went ahead on us into the room where the pen wuz laid down for the last time, where the last words wuz said.That pen wuz hung up over the bed where the tired head had rested last.By the bedside wuz the candle blowed out, when he got to the place where it is so light they don't need candles.The watch stopped at the time when he begun to recken time by the deathless ages of immortality.

And as I stood there, I said to myself, "I wish I could see the faces that wuz a bendin' over this bed, August 11th, 1885."All the ministerin' angels, and heroes, and conquerors, all a waitin' for him to join 'em.All the Grand Army of the Republic, them who fell in mountain and valley; the lamented and the nameless, all, all a waitin' for the Leader they loved, the silent, quiet man, whose soul spoke, who said in deeds what weaker spirits waste in language.