Snow, the sweet darlin’, went right up to him, with her little
snowflake of a hand held out in a warm welcome, and kissed him jest as
she did her Grandpa. Oh, what a child—what a child for behavior! I
never see her equal, and don’t expect to—nor Josiah don’t either.
Wall, Cousin John Richard jest settled down in that sweet, lovin’ home
into a perfect, happy rest—to all appearances—and gained every day.
Victor and Genieve thought everything of him from the first time they
laid eyes on him. And they couldn’t do enough for him seemingly. They
had heard about his life and labor amongst their own people, and they
tried in every way to show their gratitude and affection.
Victor and he talked together for hours, and so did he and Genieve
about the plans for the colony. And first I knew, Cousin John Richard
told Josiah and me that he had made up his mind to go with them to
Africa.
The Doctor had told him that a long sea voyage would be the best of
anything for his lungs. And so, as he wuz bound to spend his life for
this people, I couldn’t see, and Josiah couldn’t, why it shouldn’t be
in Africa as well as America, specially as he had a better chance to
live by goin’ there.
And so we gin our consents in our own minds, and showed our two
willingnesses to him, and the matter wuz settled.
He had only two children left now, and they wuz married and settled
down in homes of their own, and in a good business. So he had no
hamperin’ ties to bind him to this land. And he felt that the Lord wuz
a pintin’ out to him the path of Duty over the sea.
And I wuzn’t the one to dispute him—no, indeed! And I felt that his
calm good sense and undaunted Christian spirit and Gospel teachings
would be a perfect boon to the colony.
So it wuz settled. And I imegiatly went to work, Maggie and I, to make
him a full dozen of shirts, twelve day ones and six nights.
And we prepared him a better assortment of socks and handkerchiefs, and
collars, and cuffs, and such than he had ever dremp of, I’ll venture to
say, sence he lost his companion, anyway.
Wall, it wuzn’t more’n several days after this that the relation of
Maggie’s—Senator Coleman—bein’ sot free from hampers, writ agin, and
also telegrafted, that he would be at the station that day at five
o’clock.
[Illustration: RAYMOND FAIRFAX COLEMAN.]
So, Maggie and Thomas J. rid over agin, and bein’ luckier this time,
they come a ridin’ back in due time with her relation a settin’ up by
her side, big as life, and the boy, Raymond Fairfax Coleman, a settin’
on the front seat by Thomas Jefferson.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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