登陆注册
5390800000021

第21章 THE FORE-ROOM RUG.(4)

I s'pose I could have taken a piece of his baby blanket; but the moths never et a mite o' that, and it's too good to cut up.

There's one thing I can do: I can make the bud up with a long stem, and have it growing right up alongside of mine,--would you?"

"No, it must be stalk of your stalk, bone of your bone, flesh of your flesh, so to speak. I agree with you, the idea is the first thing. Besides, the gray is a very light shade, and I dare say it will look like a bluish white."

"I'll try it and see, but I wish to the land the moths _had_ eat the pinning-blanket, and then I could have used it.

Lovey worked the scallops on the aidge for me.

My grief! what int'rest she took in my baby clothes!

Little Jot was born at Thanksgiving time, and she come over from Skowhegan, where Reuben was settled pastor of his first church.

I shall never forget them two weeks to the last day of my life.

There was deep snow on the ground. I had that chamber there, with the door opening into the setting-room. Mother and father Bascom kep' out in the dining-room and kitchen, where the work was going on, and Lovey and the baby and me had the front part of the house to ourselves, with Jot coming in on tiptoe, heaping up wood in the fireplace so 't he 'most roasted us out.

He don't forget his chores in time o' sickness.

"I never took so much comfort in all my days.

Jot got one of the Billings girls to come over and help in the housework, so 't I could lay easy 's long as I wanted to; and I never had such a rest before nor since.

There ain't any heaven in the book o' Revelations that 's any better than them two weeks was. I used to lay quiet in my good feather bed, fingering the pattern of my best crochet quilt, and looking at the fire-light shining on Lovey and the baby.

She 'd hardly leave him in the cradle a minute. When I did n't want him in bed with me, she 'd have him in her lap.

Babies are common enough to most folks, but Lovey was diff'rent.

She 'd never had any experience with children, either, for we was the youngest in our family; and it wa'n't long before we come near being the oldest, too, for mother buried seven of us before she went herself. Anyway, I never saw nobody else look as she done when she held my baby.

I don't mean nothing blasphemious when I say 't was for all the world like your photograph of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

"The nights come in early, so it was 'most dark at four o'clock. The little chamber was so peaceful!

I could hear Jot rattling the milk-pails, but I'd draw a deep breath o' comfort, for I knew the milk would be strained and set away without my stepping foot to the floor.

Lovey used to set by the fire, with a tall candle on the light-stand behind her, and a little white knit cape over her shoulders.

She had the pinkest cheeks, and the longest eyelashes, and a mouth like a little red buttonhole; and when she bent over the baby, and sung to him,--though his ears wa'n't open, I guess for his eyes wa'n't,--the tears o' joy used to rain down my cheeks.

It was pennyrial hymns she used to sing mostly, and the one I remember best was "'Daniel's wisdom may I know, Stephen's faith and spirit show;

John's divine communion feel, Moses' meekness, Joshua's zeal, Run like the unwearied Paul, Win the day and conquer all.

"'Mary's love may I possess, Lydia's tender-heartedness, Peter's fervent spirit feel, James's faith by works reveal, Like young Timothy may I Every sinful passion fly.'

"'Oh Diademy,' she 'd say, 'you was always the best, and it 's nothing more 'n right the baby should have come to you.

P'r'aps God will think I'm good enough some time; and if he does, Diademy, I'll offer up a sacrifice every morning and every evening.

But I'm afraid,' says she, 'he thinks I can't stand any more happiness, and be a faithful follower of the cross. The Bible says we 've got to wade through fiery floods before we can enter the kingdom.

I don't hardly know how Reuben and I are going to find any way to wade through; we're both so happy, they 'd have to be consid'able hot before we took notice,' says she, with the dimples all breaking out in her cheeks.

"And that was true as gospel. She thought everything Reuben done was just right, and he thought everything she done was just right.

There wa'n't nobody else; the world was all Reuben 'n' all Lovey to them.

If you could have seen her when she was looking for him to come from Skowhegan! She used to watch at the attic window; and when she seen him at the foot of the hill she 'd up like a squirrel, and run down the road without stopping for anything but to throw a shawl over her head.

And Reuben would ketch her up as if she was a child, and scold her for not putting a hat on, and take her under his coat coming up the hill.

They was a sight for the neighbors, I must confess, but it wa'n't one you could hardly disapprove of, neither. Aunt Hitty said it was tempting Providence and couldn't last, and God would visit his wrath on 'em for making idols of sinful human flesh.

"She was right one way,--it didn't last; but nobody can tell me God was punishing of 'em for being too happy.

I guess he 'ain't got no objection to folks being happy here below, if they don't forget it ain't the whole story.

"Well, I must mark in a bud on Lovey's stalk now, and I'm going to make it of her baby's long white cloak.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 重生之玉枝

    重生之玉枝

    陈骋,女,具有过目不忘和预测危险的能力。出生时有严重的心脏病,11岁因病离世。死后重生在几千公里之外的深山中一位叫玉枝的同龄女孩儿身上。而且,她必须在山中至少生活六年。六年后,陈骋回到家乡,迎接她的又会是怎样的纠葛?
  • 开心国学1000问

    开心国学1000问

    1000个国学问答,生动轻松,趣味盎然,以一种你没有见过的别样的方式,让你在轻松答问题的时候,开心学国学。
  • 世界500强企业员工的50个效能定律

    世界500强企业员工的50个效能定律

    百余年来有层出不穷的企业管理理论。尽管纷繁,最终却只围绕一个问题:效能!“如何在最短时间内做最多最好的事情?”本书告诉你最终答案。精心选取世界500强企业员工的50条效能定律,结合理论,详细地介绍运用效能定律的成功亮点,举一反三,不断总结创新,收获。
  • 故事会(2016年3月上)

    故事会(2016年3月上)

    《故事会》是上海文艺出版社编辑出版的仅有114个页码、32开本的杂志,是中国最通俗的民间文学小本杂志。《故事会》创刊于1963年,是中国的老牌刊物之一。先后获得两届中国期刊的最高奖——国家期刊奖。1998年,它在世界综合类期刊中发行量排名第5。
  • 极昼苑

    极昼苑

    爱情如星空一般,神奇莫测,但又令人无法自拔。
  • 重生大原始

    重生大原始

    一场海难后,李青来到一个恐龙、凶兽、人类并存的原始世界。故事……就从这里开始!
  • 萌宝的天价俏妈咪

    萌宝的天价俏妈咪

    传闻某总裁不近女色,却偏有五岁儿子吵着要妈咪,所有女人前仆后继屡遭嫌弃。“腿太粗,胸太小,腰不够细!”,萌宝指指点点摇头晃脑。众女幽怨:这是要找妈咪还是老婆?!某男满意点头:不愧是他儿子,挡了不少烂桃花。直到某天,萌宝拉着个美人来到他面前:这女人我看上了!你不娶的话我就娶了!男人冷漠一笑,这女人好大的胆子,想欺骗他儿子攀附豪门?很好!男人干脆利落支票加契约甩女人一脸:做我女人!乐彤傻眼而后怒了,收拾行李,直接落跑,顺带不忘递上辞职信。
  • 灵宅笔记

    灵宅笔记

    十几年前,老镇马副镇长为了发展老街经济,打算力排众议拆掉灵宅,可灵宅没拆,马副镇长却失踪了,有人在灵宅里发现马副镇长留在宅子里的遗物。十几年后,马副镇长的女儿马凌云自称得高人点拨,回灵宅寻找马副镇长,却没想到在宅子里,挖出一段前清时期的可怕传说。马凌云和小火焰不顾凶险破解百年灵宅之谜,从中得到破灵宅的秘籍。只有破解其中秘密,才能解开家族诅咒。小火焰陪着马凌云离开古镇,却没想到横祸接连而至。茅山高人、降头妖人、穿梭阴阳、还有养蛊奇人纷纷登场。每座古宅后面,都隐藏着一段离奇的故事,等着有缘人来破解。
  • 霸道少爷别惹我

    霸道少爷别惹我

    夏薇是学霸,叶繁星是学渣,她无意之间“救”了一个险些失足的同学他,于是现代版本的救人一命,以身相许,展开来!做为一个学渣的他,想要追上女神学霸的她,真是一件任重而道远的事!可谁让他偏偏只能她动心!情节虚构,请勿模仿--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 内丹诀

    内丹诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。