Sweet Cicely — or Josiah Allen as a Politician, Marietta Holley [best books to read ever txt] 📗
- Author: Marietta Holley
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SWEET CICELY OR JOSIAH ALLEN AS A POLITICIAN By “Josiah Allen's Wife”: Marietta Holley
TO THE SAD-EYED MOTHERS, WHO, LIKE CICELY, ARE LOOKING ACROSS THE CRADLE OF THEIR BOYS INTO THE GREAT WORLD OF TEMPTATION AND DANGER, THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED.
PREFACE.
Josiah and me got to talkin' it over. He said it wuzn't right to think more of one child than you did of another.
And I says, “That is so, Josiah.”
And he says, “Then, why did you say yesterday, that you loved sweet Cicely better than any of the rest of your thought-children? You said you loved 'em all, and was kinder sorry for the hull on 'em, but you loved her the best: what made you say it?”
Says I, “I said it, to tell the truth.”
“Wall, what did you do it for?” he kep' on, determined to get a reason.
“I did it,” says I, a comin' out still plainer,—“I did it to keep from lyin'.”
“Wall, when you say it hain't right to feel so, what makes you?”
“I don't know, Josiah,” says I, lookin' at him, and beyend him, way into the depths of emotions and feelin's we can't understand nor help,—
“I don't know why, but I know I do.”
And he drawed on his boots, and went out to the barn.
CONTENTS
PREFACE.
CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER IX.
CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER XII.
CHAPTER XIII.
CHAPTER XIV.
List of Illustrations
Sweet Cicely.
Josiah Telling the News to Samantha.
Cicely.
Paul Slide.
Samantha and the “blamers.”
Cicely in the Saloon.
Paul Shooting his Friend.
Cicely and the Boy.
Uncle Sam Enriching the Government.
The Spare Room.
Going to Meeting.
Josiah Closing the Conversation.
“it Wus on a Slay-ride “
Excellent Lime.
Elburtus Endearin' Himself to Mr. Bobbet.
Elbertus Appearin'
Elburtus Holding the Horses.
Hunting for Elburtus.
The Baby.
A Great Effort.
Samantha's Hens.
Cicely and Her Peers.
“a Charge to Keep I Have.”
Josiah's Wood-lot.
God's Comma.
Josiah Reading the Letter.
Copy of the Letter: Free Pass.
Looking Dubersome.
Josiah and his Relations on the Pass.
Josiah Being Approached.
Josiah Being Blown Away.
Josiah's Star Route.
Uncivil Service.
The Golden Calves of Christians.
Josiah Driving Tantrum.
A Woman's Place.
Our Law-makers.
Jonesville Courthouse.
Making Them Do Right.
The Mother's Bed-quilt.
Man Lifting up Eunice.
Eunice in Jail.
Dorlesky's Trials.
Patty and Husband Travelling in the Far West.
Beating his Wife.
Looking Beyend the Sunset.
Looking for the City.
Asking About the City.
Philury.
Samantha Advising the Bride.
Samantha and Paul on the Way to The White House.
Samantha Meeting the President.
“Would You Dast?”
Samantha Meeting James G. Blaine.
Mr. Blaine Introducing the Senator.
“Fly Around, Ye Angels.”
Woman's Rights and Somebody Blundered.
The Weary Toilers of Life.
Bearing the Baby Peace.
A Case of Necessity.
Samantha Viewing the Capitol.
Samantha Refusing to Be Treated.
Buying Time.
How Woman's Prayers Are Answered.
Samantha and Sally in the Patent Office.
Samantha at the President's Reception.
Going to Mount Vernon.
Before the Tomb of Washington.
The Old Home of Washington.
Thomas Jefferson S Ghost.
Heavenly Visitors.
“say!”
Samantha's Sorrow.
Our 4 Parents.
Borrowing Coals.
The Old Schoolhouse
A May Morning.
At the Depot.
Are You a Lion?
Josiah Being Treated.
Letitia Lanfear.
Ury.
The Wedding Supper.
“yes, if You Please.”
Led Astray.
The Boy's Explanation.
She That Wus Kezier Lum.
Condelick Post.
Licensed Wretchedness.
Samantha Listening to Cicely.
Thomas Jefferson Bringing Cicely's Telegram.
“most Probable She Dremp It.”
The Boy Asking Questions.
Tirzah Ann and Maggie in the Democrat.
Death of Cicely.
Agent Trying to Sell Samantha a Feller.
Them That Sell Doves.
Josiah After Being Repaired.
“goin' to the Revival Meeting.”
“can't I Sell You a Feller?”
The Boy and Let Peedick Playing Horse.
Paul Looking at the Sunset.
“say!”
CHAPTER I.
It was somewhere about the middle of winter, along in the forenoon, that Josiah Allen was telegrafted to, unexpected. His niece Cicely and her little boy was goin' to pass through Jonesville the next day on her way to visit her aunt Mary (aunt on her mother's side), and she would stop off, and make us a short visit if convenient.
We wuz both tickled, highly tickled; and Josiah, before he had read the telegraf ten minutes, was out killin' a hen. The plumpest one in the flock was the order I give; and I wus a beginnin' to make a fuss, and cook up for her.
We loved her jest about as well as we did Tirzah Ann. Sweet Cicely was what we used to call her when she was a girl. Sweet Cicely is a plant that has a pretty white posy. And our niece Cicely was prettier and purer and sweeter than any posy that ever grew: so we thought then, and so we think still.
Her mother was my companion's sister,—one of a pair of twins, Mary and Maria, that thought the world of each other, as twins will. Their mother died when they wus both of 'em babies; and they wus adopted by a rich aunt, who brought 'em up elegant, and likely too: that I will say for her, if she wus a 'Piscopal, and I a Methodist. I am both liberal and truthful—very.
Maria wus Cicely's ma, and she wus left a widow when she wus a young woman; and Cicely wus her only child. And the two wus bound up in each other as I never see a mother and daughter in my life before or sense.
The third year after Josiah and me wus married, Maria wusn't well, and the doctor ordered her out into the country for her health; and she and little Cicely spent the hull of that summer with us. Cicely wus about ten; and how we did love that girl! Her mother couldn't bear to have her out of her sight; and I declare, we all of us wus jest about as bad. And from that time they used to spend most all of their summers in Jonesville. The air agreed with 'em, and so did I: we never had a word of trouble. And we used to visit them quite a good deal in the winter season: they lived in the city.
Wall, as Cicely got to be a young girl, I used often to set and look at her, and wonder if the Lord could have made a prettier, sweeter girl if he had tried to. She looked to me jest perfect, and so she did to Josiah.
And she knew so much, too, and wus so womanly and quiet and deep. I s'pose it wus bein' always with her mother that made her seem older and more thoughtful than girls usially are. It seemed as if her great dark eyes wus full of wisdom beyend—fur beyend—her years, and sweetness too. Never wus there any sweeter eyes under the heavens than those of our niece Cicely.
She wus very fair and pale, you would think at first; but, when you would come to look closer, you would see there was nothing sickly in her complexion, only it was very white and smooth,—a good deal like the pure white leaves of the posy Sweet Cicely. She had a gentle, tender mouth, rose-pink; and her cheeks wuz, when she would get rousted up and excited about any thing; and then it would all sort o' die out again into that pure white. And over all her face, as sweet and womanly as it was, there was a look of power, somehow, a look of strength, as if she would venture much, dare much, for them she loved. She had the gift, not always a happy one, of loving,—a strength of devotion that always has for its companion-trait a gift of endurance, of martyrdom if necessary.
She would give all, dare all, endure all, for them she loved. You could see that in her face before you had been with her long enough to see it in her life.
Her hair wus a soft, pretty brown, about the color of her eyes. And she wus a little body, slender, and sort o' plump too; and her arms and hands and neck wus soft and white as snow almost.
Yes, we loved Cicely: and no one could blame us, or wonder at us for callin' her after the posy Sweet Cicely; for she wus prettier than any posy that ever blew, enough sight.
Wall, she had always said she couldn't live if her mother died.
But she did, poor little creeter! she did.
Maria died when Cicely wus about eighteen. She had always been delicate, and couldn't live no longer: so she died. And Josiah and me went right after the poor child, and brought her home with us.
She lived, Cicely did, because she wus young, and couldn't die. And Josiah and me wus dretful good to her; and many's the nights that I have gone into her room when I'd hear her cryin' way along in the night; many's the times I have gone in, and took her in my arms, and held her there, and cried with her, and soothed her, and got her to sleep, and held her in my arms like a baby till mornin'. Wall, she lived with us most a year that time; and it wus about two years after, while she wus to some of her father's folks'es (they wus very rich), that she met the young man she married,—Paul Slide.
He wus a handsome young man, well-behaved, only he would drink a little once in a while: he'd got into the habit at college, where his mate wus wild, and had his turns.
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