Part 3 (1/2)
[Ill.u.s.tration: GOING TO MEETING.]
”Yes,” says Josiah.
”2 elfants, and rinosterhorses, and snakes, and snakes, and bears, and tigers, and cows, and camels, and hens?”
”Yes, yes.”
”And flies, uncle Josiah?-did they drive in two flies? and mud-turkles? and b.u.mble-bees? and muskeeters? Say, uncle Josiah, did they drive in muskeeters?”
”I s'pose so.”
”How could they drive in two muskeeters?”
”Oh! less stop talkin' for a spell-shet up your little mouth,” says Josiah in a winnin' tone, pattin' him on his head.
”I can shut up my mouth, uncle Josiah, but I can't shut up my thinker.”
Josiah sithed; and, right while he wus a sithin', the boy commenced agin on a new tack.
”What for a lookin' place was paradise?” And then follered 800 questions about paradise. Josiah sweat, and offered to let the boy come back, and set with me. He had insisted, when we started from the meetin'-house, on havin' the boy set on the front seat between him and Ury.
But I demurred about any change, and leaned back, and eat a sweet apple. I don't think it is wrong Sundays to eat a sweet apple. And the boy kep' on.
”What did Adam fall off of? Did he fall out of the apple-tree?”
”No, no! he fell because he sinned.”
But the boy went right on, in a tone of calm conviction,-
”No big man would be apt to fall a walking right along. He fell out of the apple-tree.”
And then he says, after a minute's still thought,-
”I believe, if I had been there, and had a string round Adam's leg, I could kep' him from fallin' off;-and say, where was the Lord? Couldn't He have kept him? say, couldn't He?”
”Yes: He can do any thing.”
”Wall, then, why didn't He?”
Josiah groaned, low.
”If Adam hadn't fell, I wouldn't have fell, would I?-nor you-nor Ury- nor anybody?”
”No: I s'pose not.”
”Wall, wouldn't it have paid to kept Adam up? Say, uncle Josiah, say!”
”Oh! less talk about sunthin' else,” says my poor Josiah. ”Don't you want a sweet apple?”