Part 21 (2/2)

And he led the way along, and I follered, and the boy. Bub Smith had left us at the door.

The hired man seemed to think I would want to look round some; and he walked sort o' slow, out of courtesy. But, good land! how little that hired man knew my feelin's, as he led me on, I a thinkin' to myself,-

”Here I am, a steppin' where G. Was.h.i.+ngton strode.” Oh the grandeur of my feelin's! The n.o.bility of 'em! and the quant.i.ty! Why, it was a perfect sight.

But right into these exalted sentiments the hired man intruded with his frivolous remarks,-worse than frivolous.

He says agin something about ”not knowin' whether the President would be ready to receive me.”

And I stepped down sudden from that lofty piller I had trod on in my mind, and says I,-

”I tell you agin, I don't care whether he is dressed up or not. I come on principle, and I shall look at him through that eye, and no other.”

”Wall,” says he, turnin' sort o' red agin (he was ashamed), ”have you noticed the beauty of the didos?”

But I kep' my head right up in the air n.o.bly, and never turned to the right or the left; and says I,-

”I don't see no beauty in cuttin' up didos, nor never did. I have heard that they did such things here in Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C., but I do not choose to have my attention drawed to 'em.”

But I pondered a minute, and the word ”meetin'-house” struck a fearful blow aginst my conscience;' and I says in milder axents,-

”If I looked upon a dido at all, it would be, not with a human woman's eye, but the eye of a Methodist. My duty draws me:-point out the dido, and I will look at it through that one eye.”

And he says, ”I was a talkin' about the walls of this room.”

And I says, ”Why couldn't you say so in the first place? The idee of skairin' folks! or tryin' to,” I added; for I hain't easily skairt.

The walls wus perfectly beautiful, and so wus the ceilin' and floors. There wuzn't a house in Jonesville that could compare with it, though we had painted our meetin-house over at a cost of upwards of 28 dollars. But it didn't come up to this-not half. President Arthur has got good taste; and I thought to myself, and I says to the hired man, as I looked round and see the soft richness and quiet beauty and grandeur of the surroundings,-

”I had just as lives have him pick me out a calico dress as to pick it out myself. And that is sayin' a great deal,” says I. ”I am always very putickuler in calico: richness and beauty is what I look out for, and wear.”

Jest as I wus sayin' this, the hired man opened a door into a lofty, beautiful room; and says he,-

”Step in here, madam, into the antick room, and I'll see if the President can see you;” and he started off sudden, bein' called. And I jest turned round and looked after him, for I wanted to enquire into it. I had heard of their cuttin' up anticks at Was.h.i.+ngton,-I had come prepared for it; but I didn't know as they was bold enough to come right out, and have rooms devoted to that purpose. And I looked all round the room before I ventured in. But it looked neat as a pin, and not a soul in there; and thinks'es I, ”It hain't probable their day for cuttin' up anticks. I guess I'll venture.” So I went in.

But I sot pretty near the edge of the chair, ready to jump at the first thing I didn't like. And I kep' a close holt of the boy. I felt that I was right in the midst of dangers. I had feared and foreboded,-oh, how I had feared and foreboded about the dangers and deep perils of Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C.! And here I wuz, the very first thing, invited right in broad daylight, with no excuse or any thing, right into a antick room.

Oh, how thankful, how thankful I wuz, that Josiah Allen wuzn't there!

I knew, as he felt a good deal of the time, an antick room was what he would choose out of all others. And I felt stronger than ever the deep resolve that Josiah Allen should not run. He must not be exposed to such dangers, with his mind as it wuz, and his heft. I felt that he would suck.u.mb.

And I wondered that President Arthur, who I had always heard was a perfect gentleman, should come to have a room called like that, but s'posed it was there when he went. I don't believe he'd countenance any thing of the kind.

I was jest a thinkin' this when the hired man come back, and said,-

”The President would receive me.”

”Wall,” says I calmly, ”I am ready to be received.”

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