第67章 AT A LAWN PARTY(5)

"Wall, dumb it, what makes men stronger?" sez he.

"Why," sez I, "I s'pose one great thing is their dressin'

comfortable."

"Wall, I am glad you know enough to know it," sez he."Why," sez he, "jest imagine a man tyin' a rope round his waist, round and round; or worse yet, take strong steel, and whalebones, and bind and choke himself down with 'em, and tottlin' himself up on high heel slippers, the high heels comin' right up in the ball of his foot -- and then havin' heavy skirts a holdin' him down, tied back tight round his knees and draggin' along on the ground at his feet -- imagine me in that perdickerment, Samantha."I shuddered, and sez I, "Don't bring up no such seen to harrow up my nerve." Sez I, "You know I couldn't stand it, to see you a facin' life and its solemn responsibilities in that condition.It would kill me to witness your sufferin'," sez I.And agin' Ishuddered, and agin I sithed.

And he sez, "Wall, it is jest as reasonable for a man to do it as for a woman; it is far worse and more dangerous for a woman than a man.""I know it," sez I, between my sithes."I know it, but I can't, Ican't stand it, to have you go into it."

"Wall, you needn't worry, Samantha, I haint a fool.You won't ketch men a goin' into any such performances as this, they know too much." And then he resumed on in a lighter agent, to get my mind still further off from his danger, for I wuz still a sithin', frequent and deep.

Sez he, as he looked down and see some wimmen a passin' below; sez hey "I never see such a sight in my life, a man can see more here in one evenin' than he can in a life time at Jonesville.""That is so, Josiah," sez I, "you can." And I felt every word Isaid, for at that very minute a lady, or rather a female woman, passed with a dress on so low in the neck that I instinctively turned away my head, and when I looked round agin, a deep blush wuz mantlin' the cheeks of Josiah Allen, a flushin' up his face, clear up into his bald head.

I don't believe I had ever been prouder of Josiah Allen, than Iwuz at that minute.That blush spoke plainer than words could, of the purity and soundness of my pardner's morals.If the whole nation had stood up in front of me at that time, and told me his morals wuz a tottlin' I would have scorned the suggestion.No, that blush telegraphed to me right from his soul, the sweet tidin's of his modesty and worth.

And I couldn't refrain from sayin' in encouragin', happy axents, "Haint you glad now, Josiah Allen, that you listened to your pardner; haint you glad that you haint a goin' round in a low necked coat and vest, a callin' up the blush of skern and outraged modesty to the cheeks 'of noble and modest men?""Yes," sez he, graspin' holt of my hand in the warmth of his gratitude, for he see what I had kep' him from."Yes, you wuz in the right on't, Samantha.I see the awfulness of the peril from which you rescued of me.But never," sez he, a lookin' down agin over the railin', onto some more wimmen a passin' beneath, "never did I see what I have seen here to-night.Not," sez he dreemily, "sense I wuz a baby.""Wall," sez I, "don't try to look, Josiah; turn your eyes away."And I believe he did try to -- though such is the fascination of a known danger in front of you, that it is hard to keep yourself from contemplatin' of it.But he tried to.And he tried to not look at the waltzin' no more than he could help, and I did too.

But in spite of himself he had to see how clost the young girls wuz held; how warmly the young men embraced 'em.And as he looked on, agin I see the hot blush of shame mantillied Josiah's cheeks, and again he sez to me in almost warm axents, "I realize what you have rescued me from, Samantha."And I sez, "You couldn't have looked Elder Minkley in the face, could you? if you had gone into that shameful diversion.""No, I couldn't, nor into yourn nuther.I couldn't have looked nobody in the face, if I had gone on and imposed on any young girl as they are a doin', and insulted of her.Why," sez he, "if it wuz my Tirzah Ann that them, men wuz a embracin', and huggin', and switchin' her round, as if they didn't have no respect for her at all, -- why, if it wuz Tirzah Ann, I would tear 'em 'em from lim."And he looked capable on't.He looked almost sublime (though small).And I hurried him away from the seen, for I didn't know what would ensue and foller on, if I let him linger there longer.

He looked as firm and warlike as one of our bantam fowls, a male one, when hawks are a hoverin' over the females of the flock.And when I say Bantam I say it with no disrespect to Josiah Allen.

Bantams are noble, and warlike fowls, though small boneded.

I got one more glimps of Miss Flamm jest as we left the tarven.

She wuz a standin' up in the parlor, with a tall man a standin' up in front of her a talkin'.He seemed to be biddin' of her good-bye, for he had holt of her hand, and be wuz a sayin' as we went by 'em, sez he, "I am sorry not to see more of you.""Good land!" thinkses I, "what can the man be a thinkin' on? the mean, miserable creeter! If there wuz ever a deadly insult gin to a woman, then wuz the time it wuz gin.Good land! good land!"I don't know whether Miss Flamm resented it, or not, for I hurried Josiah along.I didn't want to expose him to no sich sights, good, innocent old creeter.So I kep' him up on a pretty good jog till I got him home.