Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-04-08
him to, he felt 50 neat about goin' and
boasted so on what q neat exertion it was

goin' to be.
| We got to the lake about O'Clock, for
the old mare went slow. We was about
the first ones there. but they kept comm
and before 10 O'Clock we all got there
There w0s about twenty old fools of us
when we got collected together, and about
10 clock we sot sail for the island,
had made up my mind from the FIRST
ont to face trouble. and SO it didn't put
me out so much when Deacon Dobbins, in
gettiu' into the boat, stepped on my new
lawn dress and tore hole IN it as big a.
my two hands, and ripped it half off the
waist, but Josiah havin' felt so animated
/ and. tickled about the exertion, it worked
him up awfully when jest after we had got
well ont on the lake. the wind took his hat
off and blew it out in the lake. He had
made up his mind to look SO pretty that
day and be SO dressed up, that it worked
him up awfully. And then the sun bea
down on him, and if he'd had any hair or
his head, it would have seemed more sha-
dy. But did the best could by him. l
stood by him and pinned his red bandan-
ma handkerchief on his head. But as
was 6xin' it. see there was something
more than modification that allied him.
The lake was rough and the boat rocked
and see he was beginning to be awfuliy
sick. He looked deathly. Pretty soon l
felt bad too. Oh ! the wretehedness Of
that time. I have enjoyed poor health
considerable of my life, but I never did en-
joy so murh sickness in 50 short time as
did on that pleasure exertion to the is
land. I suppose our bein' up all night
almost made it wors'. When we reached
the island we were both as weak as cats.
! set right on stun and held my head
for spell for it did seem as if it would
split. After while / staggered up onto
my feet and finally got so could walk
straight and sense things little. Then
began to take things out of my dinner
basket. The butter had all melted so W.
had to dip it out with spoon, and lot of
water had washed over the side of the
bnat so my pies aid tarts and delicate cake
and cookies looked awfully mixed up. bur
no worse than the rest of the company's
did. We did the best we could and began
to make preparations to eat, for the man
that owned the boat said he knew it woulo
rain before night, BY the way the sun seal
ded. There WASH t a man or woman thel e
but what the perspirations just poured
down their faces. We was a haggered aud
melancholy lookin' set. There was piece
Of woods a little way off, but it was up
quite rise of ground and there WASH t
any of US that hadn't The rheumatic more or
less. We made up fire on the sand,
though it seemed as if it was hot enough
to steep the tea and coffee as it was.
After we got the fire started, histed
an umbrell and sat down under it and
famed myself hard. for was afraid of
| sunstroke.
Wall, guess I had set there ten min
utes or more. when all of sudden
thought where is JOSIAH? / hadn't seen
him since we had got there. rlz right
up and asked the company, almost wildly
If they had seen my companion, Josiah
They said, mo, they hadn't but Celes-
tine Wilkins little girl, who had come
with her grandpa and grandma Gowedy,
spoke up and says she, II seen him agoine
off towards the woods. he acted dread
full strange, too, he seemed to be walkin'
off Sideways
Had the sufferin's we had undergone
made him delirious?" says to myself and
then started off on the run toward the
woods, and old Miss Robbet and Miss
Gowedy and Sister Minkley and Deacon
Dobbins' wife all rushed after me. Oil
the agony of them two or three minutes,
my mind so dis racted with forbodin s and
the perspiration pourln' down. But all
Of sudden on the edge Of the woods We
found him. Miss Gowedy weighed one
hundred pounds less than me and had got
a little ahead of me. He sat backed up
against a tree in awful cramped position
with his left leg under him. He looked
dreadful uncomfortable, but when Miss
Gcwedy hollered out, 'Oh, here you be
we have been skairt about you. What Is
the matt r." He smiled dreadful sick
smile and says he, ''Oh, I thought would
come out here and mediate spell. 1t
was always real treat to me to medi-
tate"
just then came up pantin' for breath,
and as the women all turned to face me,
Josiah scowled at me, and shook his fist at
them four women, and made the most
mysterious motions with his hand toward
'em. But the minute they turned around
he smiled in sicklsh way, and pretended
to be Whislin."
Says l. "What is the matter Josiah
Allen ? What are you off here for?''
81 am a meditatin', Samantha.
Says I, ''Do you just come down and
jine the company this minnie, Josiah Al
( len. You was in awful takin' to come
with 'em, and what will they think to see
you act so?''
The women happened to be lookin' the
other way for minute and he looked at
me as if he would take my head off, and
made the strangest motions toward 'em,
but the minute they looked at him. he
would pretend to smile that deathly smile.
'sSays I, "Come, Josiah Allen, we're
goin' to get dinner right away, for we are
afraid it will RAM
sob. wall,'' said he, "a little rain, more
or less, amt goin' to hinder man from
meditatin'."
! was worn out, and says I. do you
stop 'medltatin' this minute, Josiah Al
len." 7ts ssa-s
:'Says he, II won't stop, Samantha. I
let yeu have your way good deal Of the
time; but when take it into my head to
mediate, you amt agoin to break it up"
Just at that moment they called to me
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