And I declare if some of the queerest lookin' creeters didn't come up to the table and talk to me.There wuz lots of 'em there that I didn't know, folks that come from Zoar, Jim Smedley's old neighborhood.
There wuz a long table stretched acrost one end of the settin'
room, and I stood behind it some as if I wuz a dry goods merchant or grocery, and some like a preacher.
And the women would come up to me and talk.There wuz one woman who got real talkative to me before the evenin' wuz out.She said her home wuz over two miles beyond Zoar.
She had a young babe with her, a dark complexioned babe, with a little round black head, that looked some like a cannon ball.She said she had shingled the child that day about eight o'clock in the forenoon; she talked real confidential to me.
She said the babe had sights of hair, and she told her husband that day that if he would shingle the babe she would come to the party and if he wouldn't shingle it she wouldn't come.It seemed they had had a altercation on the subject; she wanted it shingled and he didn't.But it seemed that ruther than stay away from the party -- he consented, and shingled it.So they come.
They brought a eight pound loaf of maple sugar and two dozen eggs.
They did well.Then there wuz another woman who would walk her little girl into the bedroom every few minutes, and wet her hair, and comb it over, and curl it on her fingers.The child had a little blue flannel dress on, with a long plain waist, and a long skirt gethered on full all round.Her hair lay jest as smooth and slick as glass all the time, but five times did she walk her off, and go through with that performance.She brought ten yards of factory cloth, and a good woollen petticoat for the old grandma.
She did first-rate.
And then there wuz another woman who stayed by the table most all the evenin'.She would gently but firmly ask everybody who brought anything, what the price of the article wuz -- and then she would tackle the different women who come up to the table for patterns.I do believe she got the pattern of every bask waist there wuz there, and every mantilly.
And Abram Gee brought twenty-five loaves of bread -- of different sizes, but all on 'em good.And he looked at Ardelia Tutt every minute of the time.And Ardelia brought a lot of verses, --"Stanzas on a Grandmother." I didn't think they would do Grandma Smedley much good, and then on the other hand I didn't s'pose they would hurt her any.
But we had a splendid good time after the things wuz all brought in -- of course, bein' a board the fore part of the evenin' Inaturally had a harder time than I did the latter part, after Ihad got over it.
The children, Thomas J., and Tirzah Ann, and Ardelia Tutt, and Abram Gee, and some of the rest of the young folks sung and played some beautiful pieces, and they had four tablows, which wuz perfectly beautiful.
And then we passed good nice light biscuit and butter, and hot coffee, and pop corn and apples.And it did seem, and all the neighbors said so, that it wuz the very best party they had ever attended to.
And before they went away they made a motion some of the responsable men did -- some made the motions and some seconded 'em -- that they would adjourn till jest one year from that night, when if the Smedleys was still alive and in need -- we would have jest such a party ag'in.
And at the last on't Elder Minkley made a prayer -- a very thankful and good prayer, but short.And then they went home.
Wall, the next mornin' we started to carry the things to the Smedleys.It wuz very early, for Josiah had got to go clear to Loontown on business, and I wuz goin' to stay with the childern till he got back.
It wuz a very cold mornin'.We hadn't heard from the Smedleys for two or three days, because we wanted to surprise 'em, so we didn't want to give 'em a hint beforehand of what we wuz a doin'.So, as I say, it wuz a number of days sense we had heard from 'em, and the weather wuz cold.
When we got to the door it seemed to be dretful still there inside.And there wuz some white frost on the latch jest as if a icy, white hand had onlatched the door, and had laid on it last.
We rapped, but nobody answered.And then we opened the door and went in, and there they all lay asleep.The children waked up.
But old Grandma didn't.
There wuzn't any fire in the room, and you could see by the freezing coldness of the air that there hadn't been any for a day or two.
Grandma Smedley had took the poor old coverin's all off from herself, and put 'em round the youngest baby, little Jim.And he lay there all huddled up tight to his Grandma, with his red cheek close to her white one, for he loved her.
Josiah cried and wept, and wept and cried onto his bandana -- but I didn't.
The tears run down my face some, to see the childern feel so bad when Grandma couldn't speak to 'em.
But I knew that the childern would be took care of now, I knew the Jonesvillians would be all rousted up and sorry enough for 'em, and would be willin' to do anything now, when it wuz some too late.
And I felt that I couldn't cry nor weep (and told Josiah so), the tears jest dripped down my face in a stream, but I wouldn't weep -- for as I said to myself:
While the Jonesvillians had been a disputin' back and forth, and wrestin' Scripter, and the meanin' of Providence in regard to helpin' Grandma Smedley and gittin' her a comfortable place to stay in, and somethin' to eat, the Lord himself had took the case in hand and had gin her a home and the bread that satisfies."
