Samantha at the St. Louis Exposition, Marietta Holley [classic english novels txt] 📗

unlikely fabrications, and then bid her good-bye. A man's gray kid glove lay on the table and a little book, and she said Prince Arthur had forgot them.

Well, jest as we passed out of the long corridor, Dotie, who wuz looking back, cried out, "There is Pheeny's Prince Arthur!" And refused to stir another step till she went back to see him. She said Aunt Pheeny had showed her his picture and that wuz the Prince that could do anything. Aunt Pheeny I spoze had filled her mind full of stories of his perfections, she said he'd gone back to git his glove and book, and she would wait and see him.

I wuz in a hurry and wuz for goin' on, but Molly, sweet-natured thing, said we might sit down on the bench for a few minutes and then Dotie would be willing to go. So we sot down and Dotie begun to state with much excitement her reasons for wanting to stay, sez she:

"Billy has been bolsting to me that he see a Prince to the Fair, a real live meat Prince. He wuz bolsting about it, and said Aunt Pheeny didn't have no Prince, but I see his picture my own self, and I'll let Billy know that Aunt Pheeny did have a nice live, meat Prince and I see him. And there he comes now!" sez she, she wuz a little in advance of us and could see furder. And sure enough we hearn a quick light step coming down the corridor, it come nigher and nigher, a handsome elegant-looking young man turned the corner right by us, Molly looked up—and had the desire of her heart.

* * * * *

He left his friend's house and Molly, thinking his duty kept him by his mother, and he had decided it was wrong to ask a young happy girl to enter the shadow of selfish invalidism with him. He didn't say jest that, but I knowed it from what he didn't say as well as from what he did. The minute he wuz free he had flown to his friends where they had met. The house wuz closed, the family in Europe, he didn't know where, he had tried in vain to find her, and wuz jest on the eve of departing for Europe that afternoon to try to find his friends hoping to get a clue of her. Had she not gone to the hospital that day, had she come a little earlier or a little later, had she not humored Dorothy by waiting, they would not have met. That's what worldlings might say, but I didn't say it even to myself. She wuz safe, she could not have been either too early or too late. She had like a little child, asking its pa for a gift, asked her Lord for the desire of her heart and jest as he promised, he brought it to pass, usin' that bare corridor jest as he might the Valley of the Nile, or the Rocky Mountains if necessary. The hull world is but a tiny doorstep leadin' up to the shinin' pavilion of divine love.

They wuz led towards each other, she couldn't miss her way, he couldn't. The broad ocean rolled between 'em and mountain and valley, but they wuz both led by the hand like two little children out May-flowering with their ma—they had to meet.

Well, Josiah met us, accordin' to promise in front of Festival Hall, and we stayed to the illumination, Dotie havin' gone home with Miss Huff before dark.

Molly and Arthur stood on the high terrace with light fallin' all 'round 'em and before 'em, their faces needin' no light, so bright wuz they with heart sunshine. Josiah and I sot a little in the shadder, but where we could see plain. And one by one like brilliant jewels dropped from an endless storehouse of glory, lights sprung out along the front of the stately white palaces, adown the broad avenues they shone in gleamin' lines and clusters, and starred with brilliance all the long glorious vistas. Broad beams of crimson, gold and azure changin' every minute fell on the cascades, the flowers gleamed out from the emerald grass like jewels of every color.

Music riz softly from the lagoon, the great organ pealed out in triumphant notes, and my heart boyed up on waves of beauty and melody follered the strains heavenward as if it didn't ever want to come back agin to earth and Jonesville.

But as my eye fell on Josiah's face I knowed that where the star of Love went it wuz my duty and joy to foller it. He wuz gittin' worrisome and wanted to go, and so I sez:

"Beautiful! beautiful! Ivory City, farewell!"