Josiah Crabtree

“ But when the dignified Ozias Adams and his consort were retired for the night, an excited, giggling, whispering group gathered in the great kitchen, around poor little Josiah's stocking, hanging limp as to appearance, but in reality filled with the blooming fancies of childhood. At that very instant little Josiah was lying awake in his hard bed under the eaves, and it had begun to snow, and white stars drifted in upon his counterpane, and he was listening for the sleigh-bells and the fairy clatter of Santa Claus's reindeers' hoofs upon the roof. ”

“ Josiah could not at any time make out forms of people. The white highways that ran like threads among the fields, and the tiny openings in the towns and villages which he guessed were streets, seemed to belong to a dead world, for nowhere was there trace of living person. The strange stillness that brooded over the earth was made more uncanny by cries that occasionally seemed to float in the air around them, behind, before, to the right or to the left, but never exactly beneath the car. They could hear people calling, and the captain said that they were running after the balloon and cheering. ”

“ Sadie whispered when they were comparatively alone. “I never [Pg 46] was in here but twice before, an’ I’d be perfectly happy if I could always eat in such a fine place.”
“You ought to come out to the farm an’ see how mother gets supper,” Josiah said proudly. “We always have clean table-cloths, an’ the dishes ain’t so heavy’s these; though I don’t know but the more they weigh the more they cost,” he added reflectively.
Then he described to her his home at Berry’s Corner; told her of Towser and the pet calf, until once more the sickness for home assailed him. ”

“ Three of the four were agreed, himself first of all, now His Lordship, the Earl of Gowerhurst, and Lady Kathleen Stanwys, his daughter. There was but one other, but that one other was a good boy, a dutiful son; he would do exactly what his father wished.
"Thank God I don't look for opposition from him!" Sir Josiah thought. "Never trod a better lad than mine, bless him! He knows my heart's set on this, knows it he does, and he'll do it to please me! He's not like other young fellows with their fancy tricks. Besides that, the girl's a beauty, apart from her blood and breeding! ”

“ Then Tom led the way up Chatham Street, and Josiah saw the girl of whom he was at that moment thinking.
“Hello, Sadie, how’s trade?” Bob shouted.
“I haven’t sold a box this mornin’. It seems as if nobody needed matches; an’ I reckon I’ll have to go into the newspaper business, even if the boys are rough.”
“Does she ever make very much?” Josiah asked in a whisper, as they were approaching the child.
“No, an’ I don’t know what she’s goin’ to do when cold weather comes. Tom an’ me help her out as much as we can, an’ some of the other fellers chip in a little; but it’s tough for her just the same. ”

“ He did not remove his indignant eyes from the blaze, stealing timidly up the smoky chimney. "I never hed nuthin' much," he continued, "an' I never said I hed nuthin' much, like Josiah; but I thought ez how ye an' me might make out toler'ble well, bein' ez we sot consider'ble store by each other in them days, afore he ever tuk ter comin' a-huntin' yander ter Scrub-Oak Ridge, whar ye war a-livin' then. I don't keer nuthin' 'bout 'n it now, 'ceptin' it riles me, an' I war bound ter spite ye fur it. I don't keer nuthin' more 'bout ye now than fur one o' them thar dead leaves. ”

“ Tom said, more than willing to put the very unpleasant subject from his mind. “If them fellers invited us here, it was ’cause they wanted us, an’ now they can go ahead an’ do as they please. Some other [Pg 205] time we’ll get even with ’em. I wish I’d thumped Sim Jones when I had a chance this mornin’. It seemed to me that I oughter done it.”
“Why, what was he doin’?” Josiah asked.
“Nothin’, only kinder lookin’ as if he was tryin’ some mischief. He acted too sweet, that’s what’s the matter with him; an’ when Sim gets on such a face you wanter watch out for him.” ”

“ There was no difficulty in finding Sadie.
She was standing where Josiah first saw her, and this time he did not hesitate to approach.
“Say, wouldn’t you like to go out to Berry’s Corner an’ live with father, an’ mother, an’ me?” he cried eagerly, as he halted in front of her, while Tom and Bob pressed close behind to hear every [Pg 244] word of the conversation. “I’m goin’ home to-night, an’ we’ll take you for a week, anyhow; then perhaps mother’ll let you stay a good while longer. It’s ever so much nicer out there than it is in the city.” ”

“ She’ll get along jest the same’s before you come, an’ won’t have it any harder.”
“I s’pose that’s so,” Josiah said half to himself; “you see, I never thought there could be so much trouble in the city, where it seems as if everybody has money.”
“There’s a good many of ’em ain’t got any, an’ that’s a fact. If you’re so stuck on seein’ Sadie agin, we’ll make it our business to flash her up when there’s nothin’ on hand; but as I said this mornin’, she’d better stay where she is while we’re busy.” ”

“ Shindle laid down rules governing his conduct during the six days he was to be absent from the farm.
“Don’t run around in the grass and get your feet wet, unless you change your stockings at once; and be sure to do exactly as Mrs. Bartlett tells you. Don’t wade in the brooks; and you must not wear Tom’s mother’s life out bringing home all sorts of wild animals, as you do here. It is very well to have woodchucks, crows, and foxes in the country; but in the city, where there is so much less room to move around, it will be terribly unhandy.”
Josiah promised faithfully to heed these injunctions ”

“ Bob cried in astonishment, pressing forward as if thinking the wrappings, which was all that had been left behind, might give some clew to the whereabouts of the provisions.
“What’s the matter?” Josiah asked from the top of the companion-way, it not having yet been possible for him to descend because of the crowd at the foot of the stairs.
“Matter!” Bob wailed; “why, somebody’s gone an’ stole everything while we was on deck; an’ how they coulder got away is what puzzles me! There ain’t so much as a single peanut left!” ”

“ You see, if I’m goin’ there with you I wouldn’t like folks to think I’d been standin’ out here since mornin’ sellin’ matches, an’ was blowin’ in all I’d made.”
“There’s no danger of that; they’ll believe we just come from the country, an’ have got more money than we know what to do with,” Josiah said with a consequential air as he lifted the heavy [Pg 45] valise, and stood waiting for Sadie to lead the way. ”

“ Josiah was a courageous man at all times when there was any real danger to be feared, and a strong man, as everybody knew. The man must be more than mortal who could make Josiah afraid, but he had a strong superstitious feeling in his composition ”

“ Tom replied; “but she can’t count on stayin’ with us, ’cause it would spoil all the fun to begin with, an’ then agin, no feller could help laughin’ if he saw her with us. We wanter go by ourselves, an’ do the thing up in style, that’s what we’re after.”
“I won’t talk any more about it now,” Josiah said; “but I’ve got to see her again before I go home.”
“There’ll be plenty of chance for that. She’s allers up there sellin’ matches. When we haven’t got anything better to do, Bob an’ I’ll go with you. Now come on, ’cause we wanter scoop in all we can.” ”

“ He looked up, and there, somewhere on a level with the lantern in the neighbouring lamp-post, was the genial face of Captain Mulberry.
"No," said Josiah, "I'm sorry I have not."
"Don't smoke, eh? You don't look the kind of old boy to have any pleasant vices. I saw you in the Balloon Society's rooms just now, and rather took a fancy to you."
"You are very kind," Josiah said, blushing up to where in earlier and happier days the roots of his hair had been. "I am sure I feel it a great honour." ”

“ Bob and Tom had stopped to look at some of the other attractions; but Sadie kept very close to the boy from Berry’s Corner, for, since through him she had enjoyed herself as never before, it was but natural she should consider him a particular friend.
“She’s awful big, ain’t she?” Josiah said in what he intended should be a whisper; but the lady referred to had no difficulty in hearing the words, and smiled in a fat way upon the young visitor, in token of appreciation.
“Yes she is, an’ I do wonder how she can get ’round the streets. Ain’t her dress perfectly splendid? ”

“ S’pose we go down by the City Hall, an’ we’ll be sure to find somebody what knows ’em.”
Josiah was ready to act upon any suggestion she might make, and followed her unquestioningly, after asking whether or no she was neglecting her own business by devoting so much time to him.
“Oh, no, folks don’t buy matches so early in the mornin’. Plenty of time for me at ten o’clock,” Sadie replied; and then, seeing a small boy on the opposite side of the street, she called loudly, “Hi! you Sim! Sim!” ”

“ Here, to the disappointment of his hosts, Master Shindle evinced neither surprise nor delight at what he saw.
“Don’t you think it’s great, up here?” Bob asked, after they had walked a long distance in almost perfect silence, save for the crunching of nut-shells as they extracted the meat.
“Yes, oh yes,” Josiah replied. “It’s good enough for a field, I s’pose; but it seems to me they’d make more money to put it in crops, than lay all this land down to grass, an’ I notice they don’t pick the rocks out. ”

“ You see, the Bartlett twins, an’ Tom an’ Bob, an’ Bob’s brother Jimmy, was out to the farm this summer, an’ said when they left if I’d come here they’d give me an awful good time, so”—
The policeman, instead of listening, was referring to a book which he had taken from his pocket; and, finding that no attention was paid to his story, Josiah ceased speaking.
“Baker’s Court runs off West Broadway, and [Pg 33] that is a long distance from here. I reckon you’ll have hard work to find it; but after you’ve walked half an hour or so, ask some policeman, and he’ll tell you.” ”

“ If it was your husband, Cassandra, nobody would wonder at it, such a splendid, noble-appearin’ gentleman as he is. But Josiah Allen was always a poor, insignificant-lookin’ creeter; and now he is the humbliest, and foolishest, and meachin’est-lookin’ creeter I ever see in human shape. And he looks as old as Grandfather Rickerson, every mite as old, and he is most ninety. And he is vain as a peahen.”
I jest glanced round at Josiah, and then instinctively I looked away agin. His countenance was perfectly awful. Truly, the higher we are up the worse it hurts us to fall down. ”

“ Josiah was too charitable to make a trade with a beggar. But the stranger said this strange thing to Josiah:—“I am near to death—I shall sing no more—I am going home. Keep my harp for me until a singer asks you for it, and promises you that he will sing unto the Lord a New Song. Give it to him; but be sure before you do so that he is worthy to sing the song unto the Lord.”
So Josiah had taken the harp home with him, and hung it on the wall, as I said, on the day that Tiny was born. And he waited for the coming of the poet who should have that wondrous song to sing. ”

“ Master Bartlett replied philosophically. “But you’ve still got the woodchuck skins to sell, an’ they oughter bring a good price. We’ll tend to ’em in the mornin’.”
“It’ll come kinder hard on me if I don’t get somewhere near what I’ve been figgerin’ on,” Josiah said thoughtfully, “’cause I’ve been goin’ it mighty strong since I struck this town.”
“You mustn’t bother your head ’bout that. You don’t come down here so very often, an’ can ’ford to blow yourself pretty well when you do strike the city. A hundred years from now it won’t make any difference.” ”

“ The pedestrians enjoyed the odd antics of these Berry Corner pleasure-seekers to such an extent, that before the party had reached Bleecker street the attention which they received was even more apparent than Bob and Tom fancied desirable.
“We’ll have to hurry the old man along faster’n this,” the former said in a whisper, “else we’ll have the whole city taggin’ after us. He’s actin’ worse’n Josiah ever dared to, an’ how it’ll be [Pg 249] when we get up among the swell stores, I don’t know.” ”

“ Had Josiah consulted his own inclination, he would have retired immediately after the evening meal was brought to a close; but Bob and Tom were eager their friend should view Brooklyn Bridge in the night, when the lights of the city formed a brilliant background, and almost reluctantly Josiah allowed himself to be conducted from the court once more.
“By gracious! If I get used up walkin’ ’round havin’ a good time, what must it be for that little match-girl, who’s on her feet all day, an’ with not half enough to eat?” ”

“ Josiah owned a old dwellin’ house in the environs of Jonesville, right acrost from Cap’n Bardeen’s, who rented it of him to store things in. The town line runs right under the house, so the sink is in Zoar, and the cupboard always had stood in Jonesville. But owin’ to Ernest White’s labors and prayers and votes, his and all other good ministers and earnest helpers, Jonesville went no-license now jest as Loontown did last year.
And jest as Satan always duz if he gits holt of souls that he can’t buy or skair, he will try to cheat ’em, he is so suttle. ”

“ The good man wiped his forehead vigorously as if excessively warm, and said in a tone of mingled bewilderment and regret:—
“I wish you hadn’t told me this, Josiah, till you had talked with mother. I was countin’ on seein’ a good bit of the city to-day; but somehow your story has taken all the fun outer me.”
“Why not carry her home with us, father? If [Pg 242] mother isn’t willin’ she needn’t stay any longer’n Tom an’ Bob did, an’ the poor little thing will be jest so much the better for havin’ a chance to live two or three days like decent folks.” ”