第21章 THE FORE-ROOM RUG.(4)

I s'pose I could have taken a piece of his baby blanket; but the moths never et a mite o' that, and it's too good to cut up.

There's one thing I can do: I can make the bud up with a long stem, and have it growing right up alongside of mine,--would you?"

"No, it must be stalk of your stalk, bone of your bone, flesh of your flesh, so to speak. I agree with you, the idea is the first thing. Besides, the gray is a very light shade, and I dare say it will look like a bluish white."

"I'll try it and see, but I wish to the land the moths _had_ eat the pinning-blanket, and then I could have used it.

Lovey worked the scallops on the aidge for me.

My grief! what int'rest she took in my baby clothes!

Little Jot was born at Thanksgiving time, and she come over from Skowhegan, where Reuben was settled pastor of his first church.

I shall never forget them two weeks to the last day of my life.

There was deep snow on the ground. I had that chamber there, with the door opening into the setting-room. Mother and father Bascom kep' out in the dining-room and kitchen, where the work was going on, and Lovey and the baby and me had the front part of the house to ourselves, with Jot coming in on tiptoe, heaping up wood in the fireplace so 't he 'most roasted us out.

He don't forget his chores in time o' sickness.

"I never took so much comfort in all my days.

Jot got one of the Billings girls to come over and help in the housework, so 't I could lay easy 's long as I wanted to; and I never had such a rest before nor since.

There ain't any heaven in the book o' Revelations that 's any better than them two weeks was. I used to lay quiet in my good feather bed, fingering the pattern of my best crochet quilt, and looking at the fire-light shining on Lovey and the baby.

She 'd hardly leave him in the cradle a minute. When I did n't want him in bed with me, she 'd have him in her lap.

Babies are common enough to most folks, but Lovey was diff'rent.

She 'd never had any experience with children, either, for we was the youngest in our family; and it wa'n't long before we come near being the oldest, too, for mother buried seven of us before she went herself. Anyway, I never saw nobody else look as she done when she held my baby.

I don't mean nothing blasphemious when I say 't was for all the world like your photograph of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

"The nights come in early, so it was 'most dark at four o'clock. The little chamber was so peaceful!

I could hear Jot rattling the milk-pails, but I'd draw a deep breath o' comfort, for I knew the milk would be strained and set away without my stepping foot to the floor.

Lovey used to set by the fire, with a tall candle on the light-stand behind her, and a little white knit cape over her shoulders.

She had the pinkest cheeks, and the longest eyelashes, and a mouth like a little red buttonhole; and when she bent over the baby, and sung to him,--though his ears wa'n't open, I guess for his eyes wa'n't,--the tears o' joy used to rain down my cheeks.

It was pennyrial hymns she used to sing mostly, and the one I remember best was "'Daniel's wisdom may I know, Stephen's faith and spirit show;

John's divine communion feel, Moses' meekness, Joshua's zeal, Run like the unwearied Paul, Win the day and conquer all.

"'Mary's love may I possess, Lydia's tender-heartedness, Peter's fervent spirit feel, James's faith by works reveal, Like young Timothy may I Every sinful passion fly.'

"'Oh Diademy,' she 'd say, 'you was always the best, and it 's nothing more 'n right the baby should have come to you.

P'r'aps God will think I'm good enough some time; and if he does, Diademy, I'll offer up a sacrifice every morning and every evening.

But I'm afraid,' says she, 'he thinks I can't stand any more happiness, and be a faithful follower of the cross. The Bible says we 've got to wade through fiery floods before we can enter the kingdom.

I don't hardly know how Reuben and I are going to find any way to wade through; we're both so happy, they 'd have to be consid'able hot before we took notice,' says she, with the dimples all breaking out in her cheeks.

"And that was true as gospel. She thought everything Reuben done was just right, and he thought everything she done was just right.

There wa'n't nobody else; the world was all Reuben 'n' all Lovey to them.

If you could have seen her when she was looking for him to come from Skowhegan! She used to watch at the attic window; and when she seen him at the foot of the hill she 'd up like a squirrel, and run down the road without stopping for anything but to throw a shawl over her head.

And Reuben would ketch her up as if she was a child, and scold her for not putting a hat on, and take her under his coat coming up the hill.

They was a sight for the neighbors, I must confess, but it wa'n't one you could hardly disapprove of, neither. Aunt Hitty said it was tempting Providence and couldn't last, and God would visit his wrath on 'em for making idols of sinful human flesh.

"She was right one way,--it didn't last; but nobody can tell me God was punishing of 'em for being too happy.

I guess he 'ain't got no objection to folks being happy here below, if they don't forget it ain't the whole story.

"Well, I must mark in a bud on Lovey's stalk now, and I'm going to make it of her baby's long white cloak.