"
"No, you won't!" sez I firmly. "The nation suffers enough from that room
now without havin' Josiah Allen's wife let in."
Sez he, "If you have any feeling of delicacy in goin' in there, let me make
some wine here. I will get a glass of water and make you some pure grape
wine, or French brandy, or corn or rye whiskey. I have all the drugs right
here." And he took a little box out of his pocket. "My father is a importer
of rare old wines, and I know just how it is done. I have 'em all here,
Capsicum, Coculus Indicus, alum, copperas, strychnine; I will make some of
the choicest, oldest, and purest imported liquors we have in the country,
in five minutes if you say so."
"No!" sez I firmly, "when I want to foller Cleopatra's fashion and commit
suicide, I will hire a rattlesnake and take my pizen as she did, on the
outside."
Well, I got back to Hiram Cagwin's tired as a dog, and Serepta's errents
ondone. But my conscience opholded me and told me I had done my very best,
and man or woman can do no more.
Well, the next day but one wuz the big outdoor suffrage meetin'. And we sot
off in good season, Hiram feelin' well enough to be left with the hired
help. Polly started before we did with some of her college mates, lookin'
pretty as a pink with a red rose pinned over a achin' heart, so I spoze,
for she loved the young man who wuz out with another girl May-flowering.
Burnin' zeal and lofty principle can't take the place in a woman's heart of
love and domestic happiness, and men needn't be afraid it will.
Pages:
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82