samantha at saratoga-第53章

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l　high　brick　block；　wuz　a　tablet；　showin'　that　a　tree　once　stood　jest　there；　under　which　Burgoyne　surrendered。　　And　agin；　when　I　thought　of　all　that　he　surrendered　that　day；　and　all　that　America　and　the　world　gained；　my　emotions　riz　up　so　powerful；　that　they　wuzn't　quelled　down　a　mite；　by　seein'　right　on　the　other　side　of　the　house　wrote　down　these　words；　〃Drugs；　Oils；　etc。〃　No；　oil　couldn't　smooth　'em　down；　nor　drugs　drug　'em；　they　wuz　too　powerful。　　And　they　lasted　jest　as　soarin'　and　eloquent　as　ever　till　we　turned　down　a　cross　street；　and　arrove　at　the　place；　jest　the　identical　spot　where　the　British　stacked　their　arms　（and　stacked　all　their　pride；　and　their　ambitious　hopes　with　'em）。　　It　made　a　high　pile。　Wall；　from　there　we　went　up　to　a　house　on　a　hill；　where　poor　Baroness　Riedesel　hid　with　her　three　little　children；　amongst　the　wounded　and　dyin'　officers　of　the　British　army；　and　stayed　there　three　days　and　three　nights；　while　shots　and　shells　wuz　a　bombardin'　the　little　house　　and　not　knowin'　but　some　of　the　shots　had　gone　through　her　lover　husband's　heart；　before　they　struck　the　low　ruff　over　her　head。　What　do　you　s'pose　she　wuz　a　thinkin'　on　as　she　lay　hid　in　that　suller　all　them　three　days　and　three　nights　with　her　little　girls'　heads　in　her　lap？　　Jest　the　same　thoughts　that　a　mother　thinks　to…day；　as　she　cowers　down　with　the　children　she　loves；　to　hide　from　danger；　jest　the　same　thoughts　that　a　wife　thinks　today　when　her　heart　is　out　a　facing　danger　and　death；　with　the　man　she　loves。　She　faced　danger；　and　died　a　hundred　deaths　in　the　thought　of　the　danger　to　them　she　loved。　　I　see　the　very　splinters　that　the　cruel　shells　and　cannon　balls　split　and　tore　right　over　her　head。　　Good　honorable　splinters　and　not　skairful　to　look　at　today；　but　hard；　and　piercin'；　and　harrowin'　through　them　days　and　nights。　Time　has　trampled　over　that　calash　she　rode　round　so　much　in　（I　wish　I　could　a　seen　it）；　but　Time　has　ground　it　down　into　dust。　Time's　hand；　quiet　but　heavy；　rested　down　on　the　shinin'　heads　of　the　three　little　girls；　and　their　Pa　and　Ma；　and　pushed　'em　gently　but　firmly　down　out　of　sight；　and　all　of　them　savages　who　used　to　follow　that　calash　as　it　rolled　onwards；　and　all　their　canoes；　and　war　hoops；　and　snowshoes；　etc。；　etc。　Yes；　that　calash　of　Miss　Riedesel　has　rolled　away；　rolled　away　years　ago；　carryin'　the　three　little　girls；　their　Pa　and　Ma　and　all　the　fears；　and　hopes；　and　dreads；　and　joys；　and　heartaches　of　that　time　it　has　rolled　on　with　'em　all；　on；　on；　down　the　dusty　road　of　Oblivion；　　it　has　disappeared　there　round　the　turn　of　road；　and　a　cloud　of　dust　comes　up　into　our　faces；　as　we　try　to　follow　it。　　And　the　Injuns　that　used　to　howl　round　it；　have　all　follered　on　the　trail　of　that　calash；　and　gone　on；　on；　out　of　sight。　　Their　canoes　have　drifted　away　down　the　blue　Hudson；　away　off　into　the　mist　and　the　shadows。　　Curius；　haint　it？　And　there　the　same　hills　and　valleys　lay；　calm　and　placid；　there　is　the　same　blue　sparklin'　Hudson。　　Dretful　curius；　and　sort　a　heart　breakin'　to　think　on't　　haint　it？　　Only　jest　a　few　more　years　and　we；　too；　shall　go　round　the　turn　of　the　road；　out　of　sight；　out　of　sight；　and　a　cloud　of　dust　will　come　up　and　hide　us　from　the　faces　of　them　that　love　us；　and　them；　too；　from　the　eyes　of　a　newer　people。　All　our　hopes；　all　our　ambitious；　all　our　loves；　our　joys；　our　sorrows；　　all；　all　will　be　rolled　away　or　floated　away　down　the　river；　and　the　ripples　will　ripple　on　jest　as　happy；　the　Sunshine　will　kiss　the　hills　jest　as　warmly；　and　lovin'ly；　but　other　eyes　will　look　on　'em；　other　hearts　will　throb　and　burn　within　'em　at　the　sight。　Kinder　sad　to　think　on；　haint　it？


XVIII。　THE　SOCIAL　SCIENCE　MEETING。

One　day　Josiah　and　me　went　into　a　meetin'　where　they　wuz　kinder　fixin'　over　the　world；　sort　a　repairin'　of　it；　as　you　may　say。　Some　of　the　deepest；　smartest　speeches　I　ever　hearn　in　my　life；　I　hearn　there。　You　know　it　is　a　middlin'　deep　subject。　　But　they　rose　to　it。　They　rose　nobly　to　it。　　Some　wuz　for　repairin'　it　one　way；　and　some　another　　some　wanted　to　kinder　tinker　it　up；　and　make　it　over　like。　　Some　wanted　to　tear　it　to　pieces；　and　build　it　over　new。　　But　they　all　meant　well　by　the　world；　and　nobody　could　help　respectin'　'em。　I　enjoyed　them　hours　there　with　'em；　jest　about　as　well　as　it　is　in　my　power　to　enjoy　anything。　　They　wuz　all　on　'em　civilized　Christian　folks　and　philanthropists　of　different　shades　and　degrees；　all　but　one。　　There　wuz　one　heathen　there。　　A　Hindoo　right　from　Hindoostan；　and　I　felt　kinder　sorry　for　him。　　A　heathen　sot　right　in　the　midst　of　them　folks　of　refinement；　and　culture；　who　had　spent　their　hull　lives　a　tryin'　to　fix　over　the　world；　and　make　it　good。　This　poor　little　heathen；　with　a　white　piller　case；　or　sunthin'　wound　round　his　head　（I　s'pose　he　hadn't　money　to　buy　a　hat）；　and　his　small　black　eyes　lookin'　out　kinder　side　ways　from　his　dark　hombly　little　face；　rousted　up　my　pity；　and　my　sympathy。　　There　had　been　quite　a　firm　speech　made　against　allowin'　foreigners　on　our　shores。　　And　this　little　heathen；　in　his　broken　speech；　said；　It　all　seemed　so　funny　to　him；　when　everybody　wuz　foreigners　in　this　country；　to　think　that　them　that　got　here　first　should　say　they　owned　it；　and　send　everybody　else　back。　　And　he　said；　It　seemed　funny　to　him；　that　the　missionarys　we　sent　over　to　his　land　to　teach　them　the　truth；　told　them　all　about　this　land　of　Liberty；　where　everybody　wuz　free；　and　everybody　could　earn　a　home　for　themselves；　and　urged　'em　all　to　come　over　here；　and　then　when　they　broke　away　from　all　that　held　'em　in　their　own　land；　and　came　thousands　and　thousands　of　milds；　to　get　to　this　land　of　freedom　and　religion；then　they　wuz　sent　back　agin；　and　wuzn't　allowed　to　land。　　It　seemed　so　funny。　And　so　it　did　to　me。　　And　I　said　to　myself；　I　wonder　if　they　don't　lose　all　faith　in　the　missionarys；　and　what　they　tell　them。　I　wonder　if　they　don't　have　doubts　about　the　other　free　country　they　tell　'em　about。　　The　other　home　they　have　urged　'em　to　prepare　for；　and　go　to。　　I　wonder　if　they　haint　afraid；　that　when　they　have　left　their　own　country　and　sailed　away　for　that　home　of　Everlastin'　freedom；　they　will　be　sent　back　agin；　and　not　allowed　to　land。　But　it　comferted　me　quite　a　good　deal　to　meditate　on't；　that　that　land　didn't　have　no　laws　aginst　foreign　emigration。　　That　its　ruler　wuz　one　who　held　the　rights　of　the　lowest；　and　poorest；　and　most　ignerent　of　His　children；　of　jest　as　much　account　as　he　did　the　rights　of　a　king。　　Thinkses　I　that　poor　little　head　with　the　piller　case　on　it　will　be　jest　as　much　looked　up　to；　as　if　it　wuz　white　and　had　a　crown　on　it。　　And　I　felt　real　glad　to　think　it　wuz　so。　But　I　went　to　every　meetin'　of　'em；　and　enjoyed　every　one　of　'em　with　a　deep　enjoyment。　　And　I　said　then；　and　I　say　now；　for　folks　that　had　took　such　a　hefty　job　as　they　had；　they　done　well；　nobody　could　do　better；　and　if　the　world　wuzn't　improved　by　their　talk　it　wuz　the　fault　of　the　world；　and　not　their'n。　And　we　went　to　meetin'　on　Sunday　mornin'　and　night；　and　hearn　good　sermons。　　There's　several　high　big　churches　at　Saratoga；　of　every　denomination；　and　likely　folks　belong　to　the　hull　on　'em：　There　is　no　danger　of　folks　losin'　their　way　to　Heaven　unless　they　w