Conduct of life -- Fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction; Orphans -- Fiction; Runaway teenagers -- Fiction
“Mother got so scared that she vowed she wouldn't fry another for three
months, but I guess she kinder lost the run of the almanac, for in less
than a week she turned out about a bushel more.”
All this time the pedler was engaged in practically refuting the saying,
that a man cannot do two things at once. With a little assistance from
Paul, the stock of doughnuts on which he had been lavishing encomiums,
diminished rapidly. It was evident that his attachment to this homely
article of diet was quite as strong as ever.
“Don't be afraid of them,” said he, seeing that Paul desisted from his
efforts, “I've got plenty more in the box.”
Paul signified that his appetite was already appeased.
“Then we might as well be jogging on. Hey, Goliah,” said he, addressing
the horse, who with an air of great content, had been browsing while his
master was engaged in a similar manner. “Queer name for a horse, isn't
it? I wanted something out of the common way, so I asked mother for a
name, and she gave me that. She's great on scripture names, mother
is. She gave one to every one of her children. It didn't make much
difference to her what they were as long as they were in the Bible. I
believe she used to open the Bible at random, and take the first name
she happened to come across. There are eight of us, and nary a decent
name in the lot. My oldest brother's name is Abimelech. Then there's
Pharaoh, and Ishmael, and Jonadab, for the boys, and Leah and Naomi, for
the girls; but my name beats all. You couldn't guess it?”
Paul shook his head.
“I don't believe you could,” said the pedler, shaking his head in comic
indignation. “It's Jehoshaphat. Ain't that a respectable name for the
son of Christian parents?”
Paul laughed.
“It wouldn't be so bad,” continued the pedler, “if my other name was
longer; but Jehoshaphat seems rather a long handle to put before Stubbs.
I can't say I feel particularly proud of the name, though for use it'll
do as well as any other. At any rate, it ain't quite so bad as the name
mother pitched on for my youngest sister, who was lucky enough to die
before she needed a name.”
“What was it?” inquired Paul, really curious to know what name could be
considered less desirable than Jehoshaphat.
“It was Jezebel,” responded the pedler.
“Everybody told mother 'twould never do; but she was kind of
superstitious about it, because that was the first name she came to
in the Bible, and so she thought it was the Lord's will that that name
should be given to the child.”
As Mr. Stubbs finished his disquisition upon names, there came in sight
a small house, dark and discolored with age and neglect. He pointed this
out to Paul with his whip-handle.
“That,” said he, “is where old Keziah Onthank lives. Ever heard of him?”
Paul had not.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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