more now and then. Strange, hain't it, that solid bricks and stuns,
that you feel and see, are less endurin' and firm than the things you
can't see--changed lives, faith, hope, charity, love to God, good-will
to man, and that whiter ideals and loftier aims and desires may tower
up higher than any chimbly that ever belched out smoke.
Curious it is so, but so it is. But 'tennyrate this one son rode on
his sleepin' cars right into millions, and his first thought wuz how
he could please best the little Mother. So he built a castle for her.
Tired little feet, walkin' the round of humble duties, waitin' on her
small boys, did they ever expect to tread the walls of a castle? Her
own too. I'll bet it seemed dretful big to her, or would anyway if it
hadn't been so full, so runnin' over full of the love and
thoughtfulness of all of her boys--and Love will fill and glorify
cottage or castle.
But here she come yearly and gathered her strong, stalwart sons about
her, welcomin' them with the same old tender smile, and constant love,
and she, wropt completely round in the warm atmosphere of their love
and devotion. Year after year went happily by till the last time came,
and she went away out of her high castle into a still higher one. But
I liked Castle Rest, for it seemed a monument riz up to faithful,
patient mothers fur and near, rich and poor, by the hand of filial
gratitude and love.
Comfort Island is real comfortable lookin', and Friendly Island looked
friendly and neighborly. And Nobby Island looked grand and stately
instead of nobby, the great house settin' up there on a high rock with
big green lawns and windin' paths under the shade trees, and the
bright faced posies on its tall banks peekin' over to see their faces
in the deep water below, and mebby lookin' for the kind master who had
gone away to stay.
[Illustration: "_I liked Castle Rest. It seemed a monument riz up to
faithful, patient mothers by the hand of filial gratitude
and love._" (_See page 48_)]
And pretty soon our boat sorter turned round and backed up graceful
into Alexandria Bay, and we hitched it there and lay off agin the
harbor real neighborly. There wuz two hotels there in plain sight,
each one on 'em as long as from our house to Miss Derias Bobbettses,
all fixed off with piazzas and porticos and pillows and awnin's and
handsome colors from the basement clear up--up--up to the ruff, and
the grounds laid out perfectly beautiful. Grass plats and terraces and
long flights of stairs, and glowin' flower beds and summer houses and
long smooth walks and short ones, and everything. And folks all the
time santerin' up and down the terraces and walks, and up and down the
piazzas and balconies.
It beat all what a lot of steam yots and sailboats there wuz all round
us. It seemed as if every island had a boat of its own and had sent
'em all to Alexandria Bay that mornin'. I thought mebby they'd hearn
we wuz comin', and they wuz there to git a glimpse of us. But
Whitfield said the boats come to git the mail, and mebby it wuz so.
Every yot wuz tootin' on its own separate engine; it made the seen
lively but not melogious. One of the boats had a whistle that sounded
as if you'd begin to holler down real low and then let your voice rise
gradual till you yelled out jest as loud as you could, and then died
down your yell agin real low.
It sounded curous. I hearn it wuz tryin' to raise and fall the eight
notes, and it riz and fell 'em I should judge.
Some of the yots had a loud shrill whistle, some a little, fine clear
one; then one would belch out low and deep some like thunder. And anon
our steamer thundered forth its own deep belchin' whistle, and turned
round graceful and backed off, and puffed, puffed back agin down the
bay.
As we turned round, a bystander, standin' by, spoke of Bonnie Castle.
It stood up sort o' by itself on a rock one side of Alexandria Bay.
And I wondered if Holland's earnest soul that had thought so much on't
once, ever looked down on it now. For instance when the full moon wuz
high in the cloudless sky, and Bonnie Castle riz up fair as a dream,
with blue clear sky above, and silence, and deep blue shinin' water
below--and silence. And mebby some night bird singin' out of the
pretty green garden to its mate in the cool shadows. I wondered if the
lovin' soul who created it ever looked down from the blessed life,
with love and longin' to the old earth-nest--home of his heart. I
spozed that he did, but couldn't tell for certain. For the connection
has never been made fast and plain on the Star Route to Heaven. Love
rears its stations here and tries to take the bearin's, but we hain't
quite got the wires to jine. Sometimes we feel a faint jarrin' and
thrill as if there wuz hands workin' on the other end of the line. We
feel the thrill, we see the glow of the signal lights they hold up,
but we can't quite ketch the words. We strain our ears through the
darkness--listening! listening!
Right acrost from Alexandria Bay is Heart Island; you'd know it at
night if you couldn't see the island, for a big heart of flashin'
electric lights is lifted up on a high pole, that can be seen fur and
near. As well as the big shinin' cross of light that is lifted up
every night on another island nigh by in memory of a sweet soul that
used to live there, and is lookin' down on it now, more'n as likely as
not.
Heart Island is owned by a rich New York man. It is almost covered
with buildin's of different sizes and ruined castles (the ruins all
new, you know; ruined a-purpose), the buildin's made of the gray stun
the island is composed of. And there are gorgeous flower beds and
lawns green as emerald, and windin' walks lined with statuary, and
rare vases runnin' over with blossoms and foliage, and a long, cool
harbor, fenced in with posies where white swans sail, archin' up their
proud necks as if lookin' down on common ducks and geese. There wuz
ancient stun architecture, and modern wood rustic work, and I sez to
Josiah, "They believe in not slightin' any of the centuries; they've
got some of most every kind of architecture from Queen Mary down to
Taft."
And he sez, "It is a crackin' good plan too; amongst all on 'em
they're sure to git some of the best."
"Yes," sez I, "and it shows a good-hearted sperit too, not wantin' to
slight anybody."
Jest then I heard a bystander say, "Amongst all the places to the
Islands, this place and Browney's take the cake."
Brownings is another beautiful place just round the corner where the
flower-garlanded rocks looks down into the deep clear waters anxious
to see their own beauty. And a handsome residence a little back and a
big farm full of everything desirable.
Only a little way acrost from Alexandria Bay is Westminster Park, a
handsome little village, with a big hotel set back under its green
trees and lots of cottages round it. A nice meetin' house too, and
everything else for its comfort. And all the way to the Methodist
place we wuz bound for, fair islands riz up out of the water, crowned
with trees and houses and tents and everything. No sooner would you go
by one, than another would hove in sight. Anon we come in sight of a
little village of houses fringin' the shore, called Fair View, and our
next stoppin' place wuz the Camp ground. I'd hearn, time and agin,
they wuz so strict there you'd have to pay for every step you took
from the ship to your boarding place. And if you said anything, you
would have to pay so much a word; or if you sithed, you'd have to pay
so much a sithe, or breathe deep you would have to pay accordin' to
the deepness of your breath.
But it wuzn't no such thing; we never paid a cent, and I sithed deep
and frequent on the way up from the wharf, for weariness lay holt of
me and also little Delight. She preferred hangin' onto me ruther than
her parents. And I'd hearn that you'd be fined for laughin', and for
a snicker or giggle; but I heard several snickers (Whitfield is full
of fun, and young folks _will_ be young folks, and talk and laugh) and
not one cent did we see asked for 'em. Why, I'd hearn that they
wouldn't let a good smart whiff of wind land there on Sunday. The
trustees kep' 'em off and preached at 'em, and made 'em blow off
Clayton way.
And I wuz told that the Sea Serpent (you know he always duz like
summer resorts), took it into his head to go to the Islands one summer
and happened to git to the Thousand Island Park on Sunday, and wuz
swoshin' round in the water in front of the dock, kinder switchin' his
tail and actin'. And the trustees got wind on't and went down with
rails and tracts and they railed at him, and exhorted him and made him
fairly ashamed of bein' round on Sunday. And wantin' to do a clean job
with him, bein' dretful mad at his bein' out on the Sabbath day, they
got a copy of their laws and restrictions governin' the Park, and they
said when the serpent hearn that long document read over, he jest
switched his tail, kinder disgusted like, and turned right round in
the water and headed off for Kingston.
But I don't believe a word on it. I don't believe much in the sea
serpent anyway, and I don't believe it ever come nigh the Thousand
Island Park grounds--only the usual old serpent of Evil, that the good
Christians there fight agin all they can.
-----
[A] The great hotel which Samantha here describes was destroyed
by fire in August last.
CHAPTER FOUR
WE ENJOY THE HOSPITALITIES OF WHITFIELD'S AUNT'S BOARDIN'-HOUSE AT THE
PARK, AND MY PARDNER GOES A-FISHIN'
CHAPTER FOUR
WE ENJOY THE HOSPITALITIES OF WHITFIELD'S AUNT'S BOARDIN'-HOUSE AT
THE PARK, AND MY PARDNER GOES A-FISHIN'
Whitfield's aunt kep' a small boardin'-house at the Park. Of course we
knew it would be fur more genteel to go to the hotel, which loomed up
stately, settin' back on its green lawn right in front of us, as the
ship swep' into the harbor.
But Josiah sez, "The tender ties of relationship hadn't ort to, in
fact _musn't_ be broke by us, and Miss Dagget would probable feel
dretful hurt if she knowed we wuz to the Park and had passed her
coldly by." (She didn't ask half so much for our boards as the hotel
did; that wuz where the boot pinched on my pardner's old feet.)
Whitfield said we had better go to Aunt Dagget's that night anyway, so
we went. We found she lived in a good-lookin' cottage, and we had
everything we needed for comfort. She wuz a tall, scrawny woman, with
good principles and a black alpacky dress, too tight acrost the
chest, but she seemed glad to see us and got a good supper, broiled
steak, creamed potatoes, and cake, and such, and we all did justice to
it--yes indeed.
After supper we walked out to the post office, and round in front of
the houses--very sociable and nigh together they are. It must be
dretful easy to neighbor there, most too easy. Why, I don't see how a
woman can talk to her husband on duty, if he goes in his stockin'
feet, or stays out late nights, or acts; I don't see how she can do
the subject justice and not have everybody in the encampment know it.
Too neighborly by fur!
But off some little distance, good-lookin' houses stood with Seclusion
and Solitude guardin' their front doors--likely guards them be, and
beloved by Samantha. And back of the Island, glancin' through the
trees, wuz the same clear blue sparklin' waters of the St. Lawrence.
They said they wuz Canada waters, but I didn't see no difference, the
water wuz jest as blue and sparklin' and clear.
We retired early and our beds wuz quite comfortable, though as I told
Josiah, I had seen bigger pillers, and I wuz more settled in my mind,
as to whether the feathers in 'em wuz geese or hen.
He said he wuz glad to lay his head down on anything that would hold
it up.
And after I remembered that Miss Dagget's bed wuz jest the other side
of the thin board partition. I sez, "Yes, Josiah, with weariness and a
easy conscience, any bed will seem soft as downy pillows are."
The next day I felt pretty mauger and stayed in my room most of the
time, though Josiah and the children sallied round considerable. But
after supper I felt better and went out and set down on the piazza
that run along the front of the house, and looked round and enjoyed
myself first rate.
Way off, between the trees and between the houses, I could see the
dear old Saint meanderin' along, blue and gold colored where the sun
struck the shining surface. And, dearer sight to me, I could catch a
glimpse through the interstices of the trees, of my beloved pardner
and little Delight in her white dress and flutterin' blue ribbons
walkin' along by his side. Whitfield and Tirzah Ann had gone santerin'
off some time before.
The hour and the seen wuz both beautiful and soothin'. The little
streets between the houses stretched out on every side, some on 'em
bordered with trees. Gay awnings wuz over the doors and winders,
flowering shrubs and posies set off the yards, and the piazzas
ornamented by the good-lookin' folks settin' out on chairs and
benches, the wimmen in light, pretty summer gowns, and there wuz
babies in their perambulators perambulatin' along and pretty children
runnin' and playin' about.
Anon or oftener a group of good-lookin' cottagers would sally out of
their houses and santer along, or a pedestrian in a hurry would walk
by. It seemed like the land where it is always afternoon, that I'd
hearn Thomas J. read about,
The island valley of Avilion,
Where falls not rain or hail or any snow,
Nor ever wind blows loudly--
Deep meadowed, happy, fair with orchard lawns
And bowery hollows, crowned by summer sea.
It wuz a fair seen! a fair seen! and my soul seemed attuned to its
perfect harmony and peace. When all of a sudden I hearn these strange
and skairful words comin' like a sharp shower of hail from a clear
June sky:--
"Malviny is goin' to _freeze_ to-night!"
There wuz a skairful axent on the word "freeze" that seemed to bring
all of Malviny's sufferin's right in front of me. But so strong is my
common sense that even in that agitatin' time I thought to myself, as
I wiped the perspiration from my foretop, "Good land! what is Malviny
made of to be even comfortable cool to say nothin' of freezin'." And
my next thought wuz, "What sort of a place have I got into?" Truly, I
had read much of the hardenin' effects of fashion and style, but I
little thought they would harden so fearful hard. None of these men
and wimmen settin' on them piazzas had gin any more attention to the
blood-curdlin' news that a feller creeter so nigh 'em wuz perishin',
no more than if they'd seen a summer leaf flutterin' down from the
boughs overhead.
I thought of the rich man and Lazarus, only kinder turned round and
freezin' instead of burnin'. I felt bad and queer. But anon he drew
nigh the porch I wuz settin' on and looked up into my face with the
same harrowin' statement, "Malviny is a-goin' to freeze to-night!"
And I said, with goose pimples runnin' down my back most as bad as I
mistrusted as Malviny had, "Who is Malviny?"
He stopped and sez, "She is my wife."
His indifferent mean madded me and I sez, "Well, you good-for-nothin'
snipe you, instead of traipsin' all over the neighborhood tellin' of
your wife's state, why hain't you to home buildin' a fire and heatin'
soap stuns and bricks, and steepin' pepper tea?"
"What for?" sez he, amazed like.
"Why, to keep Malviny from freezin'."
"I don't want to stop it," sez he.
Sez I, "Do you want your wife to freeze?"
"Yes," sez he.
Sez I, lookin' up and apostophrizin' the clear sky that looked down
like a big calm blue eye overhead, "Are such things goin' on here in a
place so good that folks can't git a letter Sundays to save their
lives, or embark to see their friends if they're dyin' or dead; is
such a place," I groaned, "to condone such wickedness!"
Sez the man, "What harm is there in Malviny's freezin'?"
Sez I, "You heartless wretch, you! if I wuz a man I'd shake some of
the wickedness out of you, if I had to be shot up the minute
afterwards!"
"What harm is there in freezin' ice-cream?" sez he.
Sez I, astounded, "Is that what Malviny's freezin'?"
"Yes," sez he.
I sunk back weak as a cat.
Sez he, "I bring it round to the cottages every time Malviny freezes;
they give me their orders if they want any."
"Well," sez I in a faint voice, "I don't want any." Truly I felt that
I had had enough chill and shock for one day.
Well, Whitfield and Tirzah Ann come in pretty soon and she wuz all
enthused with the place. They'd been up the steep windin' way to
Sunrise Mountain, and gazed on the incomparable view from there.
Looked right down into the wind-kissed tops of the lofty trees and all
over 'em onto the broad panaroma of the river, with its innumerable
islands stretched out like a grand picture painted by the one Great
Artist. They had seen the little artist's studio, perched like a
eagle's nest on top of the mountain. Some dretful pretty pictures
there, both on the inside of the studio and outside.
And they had stopped at the Indian camp, and Tirzah bought some
baskets which they see the Indians make right before their eyes out of
the long bright strips of willow. And I spoze, seein' the brown deft
fingers weavin' their gay patterns, Tirzah Ann wuz carried back some
distance into the land of romance and Cooper's novels, and "Lo the
Poor Indian" Stories. She's very romantick.
And she'd gone into the place where they blow glass right before your
eyes and then cut your name on it. I couldn't do it to save my life. I
might jest as well give right up if I wuz told that I had got to blow
jest a plain bottle out of some sand and stuff. And they blow out the
loveliest, queerest things you ever see: ships in full sail with the
ropes and riggin' of the most delicate and twisted strands of
brilliancy; tall exquisite vases with flowers twisted all about 'em.
Posies of all kinds, butterflies, cups, tumblers, etc. They had been
into all the little art and bookstores, full of pictures and needle
work, shells, painted stuns, books, and the thousand and one souvenirs
of all kinds of the Thousand Islands. When Josiah come in he said he
had interviewed ten or a dozen men about Coney Island--all on 'em had
been there--I wuz discouraged, I thought I might jest as well let him
loose with Serenus.
Well, Whitfield of course couldn't wait another minute, without seein'
Shadow Island, so the next day we went over there right after dinner.
Josiah proposed enthusiastickly to fish on the way there. Sez he,
"Samantha, how I do wish we could git a periouger to go in."
"A what?" sez I.
"A periouger," sez he, "that we could go fishin' in, a very uneek
boat."
"Uneek!" sez I, "I should think as much. Where did you ever ever hear
on't?"
"In Gasses Journal, Gass used to go round in 'em."
Sez I, "That book wuz published before George Washington wuz born, or
Bunker Hill thought on."
"What of it?" sez he; "that wouldn't hender a periouger from bein' a
crackin' good convenience to go round on the water in, and I'm goin'
to try to git one to-day. I bet my hat they have 'em to Coney
Island."
I tried to stop him. I didn't want him to demean himself before the
oarsmen and onlookers by tryin' to find boats that hadn't been hearn
on in hundreds of years. But I couldn't git the idea out of his head
till after dinner. Then he wuz more meller and inclined to listen to
reason. It wuz a oncommon good meal, and he felt quite softened down
in his mean by the time he finished. And Whitfield's boatman he'd
engaged come with a good sizeable boat and we sot sail for Shadow
Island.
[Illustration: "_I tried to stop him. I didn't want him to demean
himself before the oarsmen tryin' to find boats that
hadn't been hearn on in hundreds of years._" (_See
page 67_)]
When we got there the sun wuz tingin' the tops of the trees with its
bright light, but the water on the nigh side, where we landed, wuz
cool and green and shadowy. Dretful fresh and restful and comfortable
that hot muggy day.
We disembarked on the clean little wharf and walked up to the lot
Whitfield had bought. It wuz a pretty place in a kind of a holler
between high rocks, but with a full and fair view of the river on the
nigh side, on the off side and on the back the tall trees riz up. The
site of the house mebby bein' so low down wuz the reason that there
wuz good deep earth there. Tirzah Ann spoke of that most the first
thing:--
"I can have a good suller, can't I?"
Whitfield spoke first of the view from the river, and little Delight
sez, "Oh what soft pretty grass."
Josiah looked round for a minute on the entrancin' beauty of the water
and the islands and up into the green shadders of the trees overhead,
and then off into the soft blue haze that wrapped the beautiful shores
in the distance. After gazin' silently for a minute he turned to me
and sez, "Didn't you bring any nut cakes with you? I'd like one to eat
whilst I think of another Island far more beautiful than this, where I
yearn to be."
I groaned in spirit but handed him the desired refreshment, and then
we talked over the subject of the cottage. Whitfield thought it would
be splendid for the health of Tirzah Ann and the children, to say
nothin' of their happiness. She and Delight both looked kinder
pimpin', and he sez, "Mother, I've got the lot, and now I am going to
lay up money just as fast as I can for our house; I hope we can live
here in a year or two anyway."
Well, we stayed here for quite a spell, Whitfield and Tirzah Ann
buildin' castles higher than Castle Rest, on the foundations of their
rosy future, underlaid with youth and glowin' hope--the best-lookin'
underpinnin' you can find anywhere. And little Delight rolled on the
green moss and built her rosy castles in the illumined present, as
children do. And I looked off onto the fur blue waters some as if I
wuz lookin' into the past. And furder off than I could see the water,
the meller blue haze lay that seemed to unite earth and heaven, and I
looked on it, and way off, way off, and thought of a good many
things.
Josiah wuz tryin' to ketch a fish for supper; the boatman had a pole
and fish hook, but he couldn't ketch any, he hadn't any nack; it takes
nack to ketch fish as well as worms.
CHAPTER FIVE
JOSIAH'S IMAGINATION ABOUT HIS FISHIN' EXPLOITS CARRIES HIM TO A PINT
WHERE I HAVE TO REBUKE HIM, WHICH MAKES HIM DRETFUL HUFFY
CHAPTER FIVE
JOSIAH'S IMAGINATION ABOUT HIS FISHIN' EXPLOITS CARRIES HIM TO A
PINT WHERE I HAVE TO REBUKE HIM, WHICH MAKES HIM DRETFUL HUFFY
The next morning we went over to Alexandria Bay on a tower. We walked
up to the immense hotels past the gay flower beds that seemed to be
growing right out of the massive gray boulders, and great willer trees
wuz droppin' their delicate green branches where gayly dressed ladies
and good-lookin' men wuz settin'. And in front wuz fleets of little
boats surroundin' the big white steamboats, jest as contented as big
white geese surrounded by a drove of little goslins.
I'd hearn that the great hotel that wuz nighest to us looked by night
jest like one of the fairy palaces we read about in Arabian Nights,
and one night we see it. From the ground clear up to the high ruff it
wuz all ablaze with lines of flashin' light, and I sez instinctively
to myself, "Jerusalem the golden!" and "Pan American Electric Tower!"
And I d'no which metafor satisfied me best. 'Tennyrate this had the
deep broad river flowin' on in front, reflectin' every glowin' light
and buildin' another gleamin' castle down there more beautiful than
the one on land. Josiah's only remark wuz "Coney Island!" Everything
seems to make him think on't, from a tooth pick to a tower. Ten
thousand electric lights wuz the number that lit up that one house, so
I hearn.
The big engine and chimney they use to turn the water into glorious
light, towers up behind the hotel, and made such a noise and shook the
buildin' so that folks couldn't stand it, and they jest collared that
noise as Josiah would take a dog he couldn't stop barkin' by the
scruff of the neck and lock it up in the stable, jest so they took
that noise and rumblin' and snaked it way offen into the river in a
pipe or sunthin', so it keeps jest as still now up there as if it
wuzn't doin' a mite of work. Queer, hain't it? But to resoom.
It wuz indeed a fair seen to turn round when you wuz about half way up
the flower strewn declivity and look afar off over the wharf with its
gay crowd, over the boats gaily ridin' at anchor, and behold the
fairy islands risin' from the blue waves crested with castles, and
mansions and cottage ruffs, chimblys and towers all set in the green
of the surroundin' trees.