O placid, unconscious sarcasm! innocent as flowers: wise end, truly, of
all earthly ambition! How much more distinguished, after all, Captain
Leezur, the spireless grave waiting down there in the little home lot
by the sea. Since five-cent suppers do not enrich the donor, and the
treasury of the United Burying Ground is permanently low.
"Never mind, Dilly! crawl up agin. What ef ye did tunk onto yer little
head; little gals' skulls is yieldin' and sof'."
"What is the weather going to be, Captain Leezur?" I said, following
his gaze skyward.
"Wal, I put on my new felts," said he, indicating without any false
assumption of modesty those chaste sepulchres enclosing his
feet--"hopin' 'twould fetch a rain! said I didn't care ef I did spot my
new felts ef 'twould only fetch a rain! One thing," he continued,
scanning the dilatory sky with a look that was keen without being
severe; "she'll rain arfter the moon fulls, ef she don't afore."
I reluctantly made some sign of going, but was restrained. "Wait a
spall," he said; and ran his hand anticipatively into his pocket. He
brought to light some lozenges that had evidently just been recovered
from blushing intimacy with his "plug" of tobacco.
"Narvine lozenges," he explained; "they're dreadful moderatin' to the
dispersition; quiet ye; take some.
"They come high," he confided to me, with the idea of enhancing, not
begrudging the gift, as we sucked them luxuriously; "cent apiece,
dollar a hunderd. Never mind, Dilly; here 's one o' Granpy's narvine
lozenges; p'r'aps it'll help ye to set stiddier."
So, with a glad view to moderating my disposition, I sat with Captain
Leezur and the little girl on the log, and ate soiled nervine lozenges,
tinctured originally with such primal medicaments as catnip and
thoroughwort; and whether from that source or not, yet peace did
descend upon me like a river.