Around the World with Josiah Allen's WifeHolley, Marietta
General
Around the World with Josiah Allen's Wife
Holley, Marietta
Women travelers -- Fiction
I see the Emperor lookin' round anxiously and he seemed to be on the
very pint of startin' away. I mistrusted he wanted to go and git more
folks to hear my wonderful eloquence, but I couldn't wait and I sez,
"Time and Josiah are passin' away and I mustn't detain you; you Powers
will have to do the best you can with what you've got to do with.
Wisdom is needed here, and goodness, piles and piles of goodness and
patience and above all prayer to the God of love and justice for help.
He is the only Power that can bring light into the dark problem
confrontin' the nations. He can settle the question and will, if you
Powers trust Him and try to toiler his teachin's."
"The only receipt I can give you is what I told you. Seekin' earnestly
for patience and wisdom from on high, payin' no attention to the blue
light that rises from the low grounds lit by Greed, Ambition and
Revenge, follerin' from day to day the light that filters down from
heaven through the winders of the mind and soul, and keepin' them
winders as clean as possible so the light can shine through. Brushin'
away, as fur as your powers can, the black cob-webs from your own
civilizations whilst you are tacklin' the scrubbin' brush to cleanse
older and dirtier ones, and don't for mercy sake in the name of
freedom take away freedom from any race or nation. I d'no what else
you can do."
Agin he looked anxiously round as much as to say, oh why, why don't
somebody else come to hear this remarkable talk?
And sez I, "I will say in conclusion for your encouragement, fur off
over the hills and dells of the world and Jonesville there will be one
follerin' you with earnest good wishes and prayers and will help you
Powers all she can and may God help you and the other Powerses and
farewell."
He looked dretful relieved as he shook my hand and I passed on. I
guess he had worried for fear it would be out of sight, out of mind
with me, and I rejoined my pardner. The rest of our party had passed
on into another gorgeous apartment, but my faithful pardner had waited
for me. He wuz rejoiced to see me I knowed, though his words wuz:
"What under the sun wuz you hangin' round and preachin' to a Emperor
for? I believe you would dast anything."
"I hope I would," sez I, calmly, "upheld by Duty's apron strings." I
wouldn't have it knowed in Jonesville for a dollar bill that right
there in the Emperor's palace Josiah demeaned himself so, but he did
say:
"I don't want to hear any more about them infarnal strings."
And a gorgeous official looked round at him in surprise and rebuke.
Well, we didn't stay a great while after that. We walked round a
little longer through the magnificent rooms, and anon we met Arvilly.
She wuz lookin' through a carved archway at the distant form of the
Emperor and unfastenin' the puckerin' strings of her work-bag, but I
laid holt of her arm and sez:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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