第75章 ST.CHRISTINA'S HOME(1)

Wall, it wuz that very afternoon, almost immegetly after dinner, that Josiah Allen invited me warmly to go with him to the Roller Coaster.And I compromised the matter by his goin' with us first to St.Christina's Home, and then, I told him, I would proceed with him to the place where he would be.They wuz both on one road, nigh to each other, and he consented after some words.

I felt dretfully interested in this Home, for it is a place where poor little sick children are took to, out of their miserable, stiflin', dirty garrets, and cellars, and kep' and made well and happy in their pleasant, home-like surroundin's.And I thought to myself, as I looked ont on the big grounds surroundin' it, and walked through the clean wide rooms, that the change to these children, brought out of their narrow dark homes of want and woe, into this great sunshiny Home with its clean fresh rooms, its good food, its cheery Christian atmosphere, its broad sunshiny playgrounds, must seem like enterin' Paradise to 'em.

And I thought to myself how thankful I wuz that this pleasant House Beautiful, wuz prepared for the rest and refreshment of the poor little pilgrims, worn out so early in the march of life.

And I further thinkses I, "Heaven bless the kind heart that first thought on't, and carried out the heavenly idee."The children's faces all looked, so happy, and bright, it wuz a treat to see 'em.And the face of the sister who showed us round the rooms looked as calm, and peaceful, and happy, as if her face wuz the sun from which their little lights wuz reflected.

Up amongst the rooms overhead, every one on 'em clean as a pin and sweet and orderly, wuz one room that specially attracted my attention.It wuz a small chapel where the little ones wuz took to learn their prayers and say 'em.It wuzn't a big, barren barn of a room, such as I have often seen in similar places, and which I have always thought must impress the children with a awful sense of the immensity and lonesomeness of space, and the intangebility, and distance of the Great Spirit who inhabiteth Eternity.No, it wuz small, and cozy, and cheerful, like a home.And the stained glass window held a beautiful picture of love and charity, which might well touch the children's hearts, sweetly and unconsciously, with the divine worth of love, and beauty, and goodness.

And I could fancy the dear, little ones kneelin' here, and prayin' "Our Father, who art in Heaven," and feelin' that He wuz indeed their Father, and not a stranger, and that Heaven wuz not fur off from 'em.

And I thought to myself "Never! never! through all their life will they get entirely away from the pure, sweet lessons they learn here."I enjoyed the hour I spent here with a deep, heart enjoyment, and so did Josiah.Or, that is, I guess he did, though he whispered to me from time to time, or even oftener, as we went through the buildin', that we wuz a devourin' time that we might be spendin'

at the Roller Coaster.

Wall, at last, greatly to my pardner's satisfaction, we sot out for the place where he fain would be.On our way there we roamed through another Indian Encampment, a smaller one than that where we had the fearful incident of the Mermaid and Sarah.

No, it wuzn't so big, but it had many innocent diversions and a photograph gallery, and other things for its comfert.And a standin' up a leanin' aginst a tree, by one of the little houses stood a Injun.He wuz one of the last left of his tribe.He seemed to be a lookin' pensively on -- and seein' how the land that had belonged to 'em, the happy huntin'-grounds, the springs they believed the Great Spirit had gin to 'em, had all passed away into the bands of another race.

I wuz sorry for that Injun, real sorry.And thinkses I to myself, we feel considerable pert now, and lively, but who knows in another three or four hundred years, but what one of the last of our race, may be a leanin' up aginst some new tree, right in the same spot, a watchin' the old places passed away into other hands, mebby black hands, or some other colored ones; mebby yellow ones, who knows? I don't, nor Josiah don't.But my pardner wuz a hurryin' me on, so I dropped my revery and my umberell in my haste to foller on after his footsteps.

Josiah picked up my umberell, but he couldn't pick up my soarin'

emotions for me.No, he haint never been able, to get holt of 'em.But suffice it to say, that soon, preceded by my companion, I found myself a mountin' the nearly precipitus stairs, that led to the Roller Coaster.

And havin' reached the spot, who should we find there but Ardelia Tutt and Bial Flamburg.They had been on the Roller Coaster seven times in succession, and the car.And they wuz now a sittin' down to recooperate their energies, and collect their scattered wits together.The Roller Coaster is very scatterin'

to wits that are not collected firm and sound, and cemented by strong common sense.

The reason why the Roller Coaster don't scatter such folkses wits is supposed to be because, they don't go on to it.Ardelia looked as if her idees wuz scattered to the four pints of the compass.As for Bial, it seemed to me, as if he never had none to scatter.But he spoke out to once, and said, he didn't care to ride on 'em.(Bial Flamburg's strong pint, is his truthfulness, I can't deny that.)Ardelia wouldn't own up but what she enjoyed it dretfully.You know folks are most always so.If they partake of a pleasure and recreation that is doubtful in its effects, they will always say, what a high extreme of enjoyment they enjoyed a partakin' of it.

Curius, haint it? Wall, Josiah had been anticipatin' so much enjoyment from the exercise, that I didn't make no move to prevent him from embarkin' on it -- though it looked hazardous and dangerous in the extreme.