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T was Saturday afternoon,--time of blessed memory to boys,--and we were
free for a ramble after huckleberries; and, with our pails in hand, were
making the best of our way to a noted spot where that fruit was most
abundant.
Sam was with us, his long legs striding over the ground at a rate that
kept us on a brisk trot, though he himself was only lounging leisurely,
with his usual air of contemplation.
“Look 'ere, boys,” he suddenly said, pausing and resting his elbow on
the top of a rail-fence, “we shall jest hev to go back and go round by
Deakin Blodgett's barn.”
“Why so?” we both burst forth in eager tones.
“Wal, don't ye see the deakin's turned in his bull into this 'ere lot?”
“Who cares?” said I. “I ain't afraid.”
“Nor I,” said Harry. “Look at him: he looks mild enough: he won't hurt
us.”
“Not as you knows on,” said Sam; “and then, agin, you don't
know,--nobody never knows, what one o' them 'ere critters will do:
they's jest the most contrary critters; and ef you think they're goin'
to do one way they're sure to do t'other. I could tell ye a story now
that'd jest make yer har stan' on eend.” Of course we wanted to have our
hair stand on end, and beset Sam for the story; but he hung off.
“Lordy massy! boys, jest let's wait till ye've got yer huckleberries:
yer granny won't like it ef ye don't bring her none, and Hepsy she 'll
be in my har,--what's left on't,” said Sam, taking off his old torn hat,
and rubbing the loose shock of brash and grizzled hair.
So we turned and made a _detour_, leaving the bull on the right, though
we longed amazingly to have a bout with him, for the fun of the thing,
and mentally resolved to try it when our mentor was not round.
It all comes back to me again,--the image of that huckleberry-pasture,
interwoven with fragrance of sweet-fern, and the ground under our feet
embroidered with star-moss and wintergreen, or foamy patches of mossy
frost-work, that crushed and crackled delightfully beneath our feet.
Every now and then a tall, straight fire-lily--black, spotted in its
centre--rose like a little jet of flame; and we gathered it
eagerly, though the fierce August sun wilted it in our hands. The
huckleberry-bushes, bending under their purple weight, we gathered in
large armfuls, and took them under the shadow of the pine-trees, that we
might strip them at our leisure, without being scorched by the intense
glare of the sun. Armful after armful we carried and deposited in the
shade, and then sat down to the task of picking them off into our pails.
It was one of those New-England days hotter than the tropics, Not a
breath of air was stirring, not a bird sang a note, not a sound was
heard, except the drowsy grating of the locusts.
“Well, now, Sam, now tell us that story about the bull.”
“Lordy massy, how hot 'tis!” said Sam, lying back, and resting on the
roots of a tree, with his hands folded under his head. “I'm all in a
drip of sweat.”
“Well, Sam, we 'll pick off your berries, if you 'll talk.”
“Wall, wall, be kerful yer don't git no green ones in among 'em, else
Hepsy 'll be down on me. She's drefful partikelar, she is. Every thing
has to be jest so. Ef it ain't, you 'll hear on't. Lordy massy I boys,
she's always telling me I don't do nothin' for the support of the
family. I leave it to you if I didn't ketch her a nice mess o' fish a
Tuesday. I tell her folks can't expect to roll in money, and allers to
have every thing jess 'z they want it. We brought nothin' into the world
with us, and it's sartain we ken carry nothin' out; and, having food
and raiment, we ought to be content. We have ben better off'n we be now.
Why, boys, I've seen the time that I've spent thirty-seven cents a week
for nutmegs; but Hepsy hain't no gratitude: such folks hez to be brought
down. Take care, now, yer ain't a-putting green ones in; be yer?”
“Sam, we sha'n't put in any at all, if you don't tell us that story.”
“Lordy massy! you young ones, there ain't never no contentin' yer, ef a
fellow was to talk to the millennium. Wonder now if there is going to
be any millennium. Wish I'd waited, and been born in them days, 'spect
things would a sorter come along easier. Wall, I shall git through some
way, I s'pose.”
“Sam,” said I, sitting back, “we're putting all our berries into your
pail; and, if you don't begin to tell us a story, we won't do it.”
“Lordy massy! boys, I'm kind o' collectin' my idees. Ye have to talk
a while to git a-goin', everybody does. Wal, about this 'ere story. Ye
'member that old brown house, up on the hill there, that we saw when we
come round the corner? That 'are was where old Mump Moss used to live.
Old Mump was consid'able of a nice man: he took in Ike Sanders, Mis'
Moss's sister's boy, to help him on the farm, and did by him pretty much
ez, he did by his own. Bill Moss, Mump's boy, he was a con-trairy kind
o' critter, and he was allers a-hectorin' Ike. He was allers puttin'
off the heaviest end of every thing on to him. He'd shirk his work, and
git it off on to Ike every way he could. And he allers threw it up at
him that he was eatin' his father's bread; and he watched every mouthful
he ate, as if he hated to see it go down. Wal, ye see, for all that.
Ike he growed up tall and strong, and a real handsome young feller; and
everybody liked him. And Bill he was so gritty and contrairy, that his
own mother and sisters couldn't stan' him; and he was allers a-flingin'
it up at 'em that they liked Ike more'n they did him. Finally his mother
she said to him one day, 'Why shouldn't I,' sez she, 'when Ike's allers
pleasant to me, and doin' every thing he ken fur me, and you don't do
nothin' but scold.' That 'are, you see, was a kind o' home-thrust, and
Bill he didn't like Ike a bit the better for that. He did every thing he
could to plague him, and hector him, and sarcumvent him, and set people
agin him.
“Wal, ye see, 'twas the old story about Jacob and Laban over agin. Every
thing that Ike put his hand to kind o' prospered. Everybody liked him,
everybody hed a good word for him, everybody helped grease his wheels.
Wal, come time when he was twenty-one, old Mump he gin him a settin'
out. He gin him a freedom suit o' clothes, and he gin him a good cow,
and Mis' Moss she knit him up a lot o' stockings, and the gals they made
him up his shirts. Then, Ike he got a place with Squire Wells, and got
good wages; and he bought a little bit o' land, with a house on it, on
Squire Wells's place, and took a mortgage on't, to work off. He used
to work his own land, late at night and early in the mornin', over and
above givin' good days' works to the squire; and the old squire he sot
all the world by him, and said he hedn't hed sich a man to work since he
didn't know when.
“Wal, a body might ha' thought that when Bill had a got him out o' the
house, he might ha' ben satisfied, but he wasn't. He was an ugly fellow,
Bill Moss was; and a body would ha' thought that every thing good that
happened to Ike was jest so much took from him. Come to be young men,
growed up together, and waitin' on the gals round, Ike he was pretty apt
to cut Bill out. Yer see, though Bill was goin' to have the farm, and
all old Mump's money, he warn't pleasant-spoken; and so, when the gals
got a chance, they'd allers rather go with Ike than him. Finally, there
was Delily Sawin, she was about the handsomest girl there was round,
and she hed all the fellers arter her; and her way was to speak 'em all
fair, and keep 'em all sort o' waitin' and hopin', till she got ready
to make her mind up. She'd entertain Bill Saturday night, and she'd tell
Ike he might come Sunday night; and so Ike he was well pleased, and Bill
he growled.
“Wal, there come along a gret cattle-show. Squire Wells he got it up: it
was to be the gretest kind of a time, and Squire Wells he give money fur
prizes. There was to be a prize on the best cow, and the best bull, and
the best ox, and the best horse, and the biggest punkins and squashes
and beets, and there was a prize for the best loaf o' bread, and the
best pair o' stockin's, and the handsomest bed-quilt, and the rest
o' women's work. Wal, yer see, there was a gret to-do about the
cattle-show; and the wagons they came in from all around,--ten miles;
and the gals all dressed up in their best bunnits, and they had a ball
in the evenin'. Wal, ye see, it so happened that Bill and Ike each on
'em sent a bull to the cattle-show; and Ike's bull took the prize. That
put the cap-sheaf on for Bill. He was jest about as much riled as a
feller could be; and that evenin' Delily she danced with Ike twice as
many times ez she did with him. Wal, Bill he got it round among the
fellers that the jedges hed been partial; and he said, if them bulls was
put together, his bull would whip Ike's all to thunder. Wal, the fellers
thought 'twould be kind o' fun to try 'em, and they put Ike up to it.
And finally 'twas agreed that Ike's bull should be driv over to old
Mump's; and the Monday after the cattle-show, they should let 'em out
into the meadow together and see which was the strongest. So there was
a Sunday the bulls they were both put up together in the same barn; and
the 'greement was, they wasn't to be looked at nor touched till the time
come to turn 'em out.
“Come Sunday mornin', they got up the wagon to go to meetin'; and Mis'
Moss and the gals and old Mump, they was all ready; and the old yaller
dog he was standrn' waitin' by the wagon, and Bill warn't nowhere to be
found. So they sent one o' the girls up chamber to see what'd got
him; and there he was a-lyin' on the bed, and said he'd got a drefful
headache, and didn't think he could go to meetin'. Wal, the second
bell was a-tollin', and they had to drive off without him: they never
mistrusted but what 'twas jest so. Wal, yer see, boys, 'twas that 'are
kind o' Sunday headache that sort o' gets better when the folks is all
fairly into meetin'. So, when the wagon was fairly out o' sight, Bill he
thought he'd jest go and have a peek at them bulls. Wal, he looked
and he peeked, and finally he thought they looked so sort o' innocent
'twouldn't do no harm to jest let 'em have a little run in the cow-yard
aforehand. He kind o' wanted to see how they was likely to cut up. Now,
ye see, the mischief about bulls is, that a body never knows what they's
goin' to do, 'cause whatever notion takes 'em allers comes into their
heads so kind o' suddin, and it's jest a word and a blow with 'em. Wal,
fust he let out his bull, and then he went in and let out Ike's. Wal,
the very fust thing that critter did he run up to Bill's bull, full
tilt, and jest gin one rip with his horns right in the side of him, and
knocked him over and killed him. Didn't die right off, but he was done
for; and Bill he gin a the old feller turned right round, and come at
_him_. I tell you, Bill he turned and made a straight coattail, rippin'
and peelin' it towards the house, and the bull tearin' on right arter
him. Into the kitchen he went, and he hedn't no time to shut the door,
and the bull arter him; and into the keepin'-room, and the bull arter
him there. And he hedn't but jest time to git up the chamber-stairs,
when he heard the old feller roarin' and tearin' round there like all
natur. Fust he went to the lookin'-glass, and smashed that all to
pieces. Then he histed the table over, and he rattled and smashed the
chairs round, and made such a roaring and noise, ye'd ha' thought there
was seven devils there; and in the midst of it Bill he looked out of the
window, and see the wagon a-comin' back; and 'Lordy massy!' he thought
to himself, 'the bull 'll kill every one on 'em,' and he run to the
window and yelled and shouted, and they saw him, and thought the house
must be afire.
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“Finally, he bethought him of old Mump's gun, and he run round and got
it, and poked it through a crack of the chamber-door, and fired off
bang! and shot him dead, jest as Mis' Moss and the girls was comin' into
the kitchen-door.
“Wal, there was, to be sure, the 'bomination o' desolation when they
come in and found every thing all up in a heap and broke to pieces, and
the old critter a-kickin' and bleedin' all over the carpet, and Bill
as pale as his shirt-tail on the chamber-stairs. They had an awful mess
on't; and there was the two bulls dead and to be took care uv.
“'Wal, Bill,” said his father, “'I hope yer satisfied now. All that comes
o' stayin' to home from meetin', and keepin' temporal things in yer head
all day Sunday. You've lost your own bull, you've got Ike's to pay for,
and ye 'll have the laugh on yer all round the country.'
“'I expect, father, we ken corn the meat,' says Mis' Moss, 'and maybe
the hide 'll sell for something,' sez she; for she felt kind o' tender
for Bill, and didn't want to bear down too hard on him.
“Wal, the story got round, and everybody was a-throwin' it up at Bill;
and Delily, in partikelar, hectored him about it till he wished the
bulls had been in the Red Sea afore he'd ever seen one on 'em. Wal, it
really driv him out o' town, and he went off out West to settle, and
nobody missed him much; and Ike he married Delily, and they grew from
better to better, till now they own jest about as pretty a farm as
there is round. Yer remember that white house with green blinds, that we
passed when we was goin' to the trout-brook? Wal, that 'ere's the one.”
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