Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-04-29
UNCLE JOSH.
A New England Story,

farmer on Plainield Hill, and specimen. III
some strange phrases were grated on his New
England vernacular, it was because for fifteen
years of his youth he had followed the sea and
the sea, to return the compliment, thereafter
followed him.
His father, old Josh Crane, kept the Sanbury
grist-mill, and was a drunken shiftless cid
creature. who ended his days in a tumble
down red house mile below Plainiield Centre
being . took with the tremens,' rs black Pc
ter said when he came for the dOctor-all toe
late, for the " tremens'' had, indeed, taken
him of.
Mrs. Crane, our JOsh's mother, was one OF
those calm, meek. patient creatures, by some
1nscrutable mystery always linked to such
men; martyrs by the pang without the
PALM" Of whom noble army shall yet rise
out of New England's desolate valleys and
melancholy hills, to take their honor from the
Masters hand. For years this woman lived
alone with her child in the shattered rcd
house, spinning, knitting, washing, sewing,
scrubbing. to earn bread aud water, sometimes
charIty-fed; but never failing at morning and
night, with one red and knOtted hand upon
her boys white hair, and the other on her
worn Bible, to pray, with an intensity that
boy never forgot for his we'll being forever
and ever; for herself she never prayed, aloud.
Then came the country's pestilence, consump-
tlon and, after long struggles relapses, rallies,
all received In the same calm patience, Hetty
Crane died in u summers night, her little boy
asleep beside her, and whippoorwill on the
apple tree by tho door sounding on her flicker
ing sense the last minor note Of life.
When Josh woke up and knew his mother
was dead, he did not behave in the least like
good little boys In books, but dressed himself
without n tear a sob, and ran for the nearest
neighbOr.
Sakes alive" said Miss" Ranney. Il
never did see sech n cretur that are boy in
all my days he never said nothin to me when
he came TO our folks's only jest Miss Ran
ney, guess you d better come cross lots to see
mother, she don't seem to be alive Dew
tell = seq L, an so L slipt on my Shaker bun
net jist aS quick's | could, but he was off
spry cricket, an when got there he was
settln the room to rights bed spunked up n
fire, and hung on the kittle; so | sed nothin',
but slept along inter the bed room and turned
the kiver, and gin little screech, l was so
beat, for sure enough Hetty Crano was dead
an cold. Josh he heerd me- for he was clos't
onto me, and no never spoke, but he como up
to the bed and he put his head down and laid
his cheek right along hers, and twant no red
der n her n, an staid so bout a minnit; then
he cleared out. and | never see him no more
all day, but Miss Good in she come in, and
she said he d stopped there, an sent her over
We'll, we laid out Hetry, and fixed up the
house, and put up curtain to her winder,
and Miss Good in she n l calkerlated to set UP
all night, and we was jest putin mess of tea
to draw, SOS to keep lively, when in come
Josh, dTippin' wet, for the dewS was dreadful
heavy them August nights, and he said nothin'
more n jest to answer when he was spoke to-
and Miss Good in was a real feelin' woman
she guessed he Il better be let alone so he
drlnkt cup of tea, and then he started off
into the bedroom, and when she went in there
long towards midnight, there he was, fast
asleep on the bed beside of the corpse. as
straight as pin, only hOldin' on to one of It's
hands. Miss GOOd'in come back cryin' and
thought should n bOo-hOO-cd right out but
kinder strangled it down, and we set to work
10 fsSer out what was gOin' to be done with
the poor little chap; that house of their N, tina,
old Josh had bought of Mr.. Ranney, hadn' [
never been paid for, only the interest money
whenever Miss Crane could scrape it up, so't
that would 20 right back into husband 5 hands
an they hadn't got no COW, nor no pig and we
agreed the S'lectmen would hey' to take him
and bind him out.
Il alters miStrusted that he'd walked nm.
and heerd what we said, for next morning
when We went to call him he was gone, and
his shirts an Sp-tO- -meetin's too, and be never
come back to the funeral, nor for good spell
after.
Il know after Hetty was buried, and we'd
resolved to sell what things she had to get her
head stone, for Mr.. Ranney would never put
IN for the rest Of his interest money | took
home her old Bible and KEEP it for Josh, and
the next time 1 see him was five and twenty
years after, when he COME back from sea-farin'
and settled down to farInin' OIL T. and he sot by
that Bible a dredful sight, l expect for he gin
our Sail the brightest red an yeller bandan-
ner you ever see; she used to keep it to take
20 meetin,'
Miss Rauney was certainly right in her
guess Josh had heard in that misera bic
midnight the discussion of his future and
having a well-founded dread of the selectmen's 5
tender mercies, had given last caress to his
dead mother and run away to Boston, where
he shipped for whaling voyage, was cast
away on the Newfoundland shore after ten
years of sea-life, and being at that time a stout
youth of twenty, sick of his seamenship, he had
hired himself to work in a stone yard and by
the time he was thirty five had laid up enough
money 10 return thrifty bachelor, and, buy
ing little farm on Plainfield HILL settle dow
10 MS ideal Of life: and become the amusement
OF part Of the village, and the oracle of the
rest
We boys adOred Uncle Josh, for he was al
ways ready to rig our boats, spin US yarns a
week long, and fill our pockets with apples red
and russell as his own honest face. With the
bellies Of the village, Uncle Josh had no such
favor; he would wear a ig-tail in spite of
scOh and TemOnStrance; he would smoke a
cutty-pipe; and he did swear like sailor from
mere habit and forgetfulness, for no man, not
prOfessedly religious, had diyiner instinct Of
reverence and worship than he; but it was
rs instructive In him TO swear as IL was TO
breathe, and some of our boldly speculative
and law-despisins youngsters held that il was
no harm IN him, any more than gosh and
thunder" were in US; for really he meant no
more.
However, Uncle Josh did not quite' recpro-
cate the contempt Of the sex; before long he
began To make Sunday night visitations at
Deacon Stones, to - brush his hat o. morn
lngs, TO step spry, and to wear n stiff collar
and stock. insteal of the omen tie he had kent
with the pig-tail, long after jacket and tar
paulin had been dismissed the service so the
village directly discovered that Josh Crane
was courting the school mistress, Miss Eu-
nice" who boarded at Deacon stones What
Miss Eunice' surname might be 1 never knew
nor did il much matter; she was the most kind.
ly timid and lOvabe creature that ever tried
to reduce n district school into manners and
arithmetic; she lives in my memory STILL a tail
slight figure, with tender brown eyes, and
sad face, its broad lovely forehead shaded Will
silky light hair, and her dress always dim