The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-08-28

WretchedneSS OF tnaJ Time. / have
lenioyed poor health considerable OF
my life, but never did l enjoy SO
much sickness in so short time as
did on that pleasure eXertion to
the island. l suppose our bein' uI
all night Almost made it worse
When we reached the island we was
both weak as cats.
l set right down on a stun, and
held my head for a spell, for it did
seem as if it would split open. AT
ter a while l staggered up onto my
feet, and finally got so that 1 could
walk straight, and sense things a lit
tie. Then I began to take things
out of my dinner basket. The but
ter had all melted, so we had to dip
it out with a spoon. And a lot OF
water had washed over the side OF
the boat, so my pies, and tarts, and
delicate cake, and cookies. looked
awful mixed up. Butno worse than
the rest of the company's did. But
we did the best we could, and began
to make preparations to eat, for the
man that owned the boat said he
knew it would rain before night, BY
the way the sun scalded. There
wasn't a man or woman there but
what the perspiration just poured
down their faces. We was q haggard
and melancholy looking set. There
was a piece of woods little ways off,
but it was up quite rise of ground,
and there wasn't any of Us who had
MT the rheumatic more or less. We
made up fire on the sand, though it
seemed as if it was hot enough to
steep tea and coffee as it was.
After we got the fire started 1 hist
ed an umbrell, and sat down under it,
and famed myself hard, for l was
afraid of sunstroke.
Wall, 1 guess l had set there ten
minutes or more, when all of a sud
den 1 thought where is Josiah?
hadn't seen him since we had got
there. I riz right up, and asked the
company, almost wildly, if they had
seen my companion Josiah. They
said, 'No, they hadn't" But Celes-
tine Wilkins little girl, who had
come with her grandpa and grandma
Gowdy, spoke up and says she 81
seen him agoin' off toward the
woods; he acted dreadful strange
too, he seemed to be Walkin' of
side ways"
''Had the sufferin's we had under
gone made him delirious2 says
to myself, and then started off on
the run toward the woods, and ole
Miss Bobbet and Miss Gowdy, and
Sister Minkley and Deacon Dobbin's
wife, all rushed after me. Oh, the
agony of them two or three minutes
my mind so distracted with fore
lbodin's, and the perspiration pour
in down. But all Of a sudden OF
the edge Of the woods we found him
Miss Gowdy weighed one hundred
pounds less than me, and had got
little ahead Of me. He sat backed
up against a tree, in awful crampet
Iposition with his left leg under him
| He looked dreadful uncomfortable
but when Miss Gowdy hollered out
I"Oh, here you be, we have beef
skairt about you. What is the mat
ter2" He smiled a dretful sickll
smile, and says he, "Oh, I thought
would come out here al mediate
Ispell. 1t was always real treat Il
me to Mediate"
Jest then l came up q pantin' fo
breath, and as the women all turned
to face me, Josiah scowled at me
and shook his fist at them four wo
men, and made the most mysteri6u
motions with his hands towards 'em
But the minute they turned 'ronnd b
smiled in a siekish way, aud pre-
tended to go on whistlin'.
Says /, "What is the matter
Josiah Allen? What are you OF
here for?"
81 am q meditatin', Samantha"
Says I, do you jest come an,
lime the company this minute, Josi
ah Allen. You was in an awful tax
en- to come with 'em, and what vii
they think TO see you act soP'
The women happened to be look
in the other way for q minute, an
he looked at me as if he would tax
my head of, and made the stranges
motions toward 'em, but the minut
they locked at him, be would preten
to smile that deathly smile.
Says I, "Come Josiah Allen, we'r
goin' to get dinner right away, 70
we are afraid it will rain"
ooh, WALL" said he, ga little rail-
more or less, amt a goin' to hinde
, a man from meditatin'."
I was wore out, and says I, "D
, you stop meditatin' this minute, j
slah Allen"
Says he, 81 won't stop, Samantht
1 let you have your way a goo
deal of the time; but when I take
] into my head to mediate, you ain
/ agoin' to break it up"
Just that minute they called to m
f from the shore to come that minut
, to find some of my dishes. And "
e had to start off. But OH the glOol
t of my mind that was added to th
r llameness of my body. Them strsng
/ motions and looks of Josiah were o
; .me. Had the suferin's of the nigh
e added to the trials of the day mad
him crazy? I thought mOre'n s
i. likely as not 1 had got a luny on m
s hands for the rest of my days. An
I then, oh how the sun did scsld dow
D onto me, and the wind took th
3 smoke so into my face, that thel
wasn't hardly a dry eye in my heal
k And then a perfect swarm of yall'
9 wasps lit down onto our vittles /;
Y quick as we laid 'em down onto ol
( yittals as quick as we laid 'em dow
4 so you couldn't touch a thing wit
It out running a chance to be stun
0 Oh! the agony of that time. B
l KEEP TO work and when l had G
e dinner most ready, l went back
it call Josiah again. Old Mrs. Bobb
n said she would go with me s.
.e thought she see a wild turnip in Il
n woods there, and her boy Shakspea
IS had an awful cold, and she wou
If dig one to give him. So We start
1t up the hill again. he sat in jest t
le the same position, all huddled I
Y, with his leg under him, as unco
at Portable a lookin' creetur as l eT