第79章 AN ACCIDENT WITH RESULTS(2)

The hired girl told me (Miss Flamm never mentioned it to me), and she wuz glad enough of it, that the dog wuz dead.It died the day the little girl wuz hurt.The hired girl said the doctor had told Miss Flamm, that it couldn't live long.But it wuzn't till we wuz on our way home that I found out one of the last eppisodes in that dog's life.You see, sick as that dog wuz, it wuz bound to bark at my pardner as long as it had a breath left in its body.

And Josiah told me in confidence (and it must be kep', it is right that it should be); he said jest after he had knelt down and began to pray he felt that dog climb up onto his heels, and pull at his coat tails, and growl a low mad growl, and naw at 'em.

He tried to nestle round and get it off quietly but no, there it stood right onto Josiah Allen's heels, and hung on, and tugged at them coat-tails, and growled at 'em that low deep growl, and shook 'em, as if determined to worry 'em off.And there my companion wuz.He couldn't show his feelin's in his face; he had got to keep his face all right towards Miss Flamm.And his feelin's was rousted up about her, and he wuz a wantin', and knew he wuz expected, to have his words and manner soothin' and comfortin', and that dog a standin' on his heels and tearin' off his coat-tails.

What to do he didn't know.He couldn't stop his prayer on such a time as this and kill a dog, though he owned up to me that he felt like it, and he couldn't keep still and feel his coat-tails tore off of him, and be growled at, and shook, and pawed at all day.So he said after the dog had gin a most powerful tug, almost a partin' the skirts asunder from his coat, he drew up one foot carefully (still a keepin' his face straight and the prayer agoin')and brung it back sudden and voyalent, and he heard the dog strike aginst the opposite side of the room with one short, sharp yelp, and then silence rained down and he finished the prayer.

But he said, and owned it up to me, that it didn't seem to him so much like a religious exercise, as he could wish.It didn't seem to help his spiritual growth much, if any.

And I sez, "I should think as much," and I sez, "You wuz in a hard place, Josiah Allen."And he sez, "It wuz the dumbest hard place any one wuz ever in on earth."And I sez, "I don't know but it wuz." That man wuz to be pitied, and I told him so, and he acted real cheerful and contented at hearin' my mind.He owned up that he had dreaded tellin' me about it, for fear I would upbraid him.But, good land! I would have been a hard hearted creeter if I could upbraid a man for goin' through such a time as that.He said he thought mebby Iwould think it wuz irreverent or sunthin', the dog's actions, at such a time.

"Wall," sez I, "you didn't choose the actions, did you? It wuzn't nothin' you wanted.""No," sez he feelin'ly."Heaven knows I didn't.And I done the best I could," sez he sort a pitiful.

Sez I, "I believe you, Josiah Allen," and sez I warmly, "I don't believe that Alexander, or Cezar, or Grover Cleveland, could have done any better."He brightened all up at this, he felt dretful well to think Ifelt with him, and my feelin's wuz all rousted up to think of the sufferin's he had went through, so we felt real well towards each other.Such is some of the comforts and consolations of pardners.

Howsumever, the dog died, and I wuz kinder sorry for the dog.Ithink enough of dogs (as dogs) and always did.Always use 'em dretful well, only it mads me to have 'em put ahead of children, and sot up in front of 'em.I always did and always shall like a dog as a dog.

Wall, they say that when that dog died, Miss Flamm hardly inquired about it, she wuz so took up in gettin' acquainted with her own children.And I s'pose they improved on acquaintance, for they say she is jest devoted to 'em.And she got acquainted with G.Washington too, so they say.He wuz a stiddy, quiet man, and she had got to lookin' on him as her banker and business man.

But they say she liked him real well, come to get acquainted with him.He always jest worshipped her, so they are real happy.