The way on't wuz: It bein' early when Ardelia got here, Bial proposed to take her out for a drive and she consented.He got a livery horse, and buggy, and they say that the livery man knew jest what sort of a creeter the horse wuz, and knew it wuz liable to break the buggy all to pieces and them to, and he let 'em have it for goin.' But howsumever, whether that is so or not, when they got about five or six milds from Saratoga the horse skeert out of the road, and throwed 'em both out.
It wuz a bank of sand that skeert it, a high bank that wuz piled up by a little hovel that stood by the side of the road.The ground all round the hut wuz too poor to raise anything else but sand, and had raised sights of that.
A man and woman, dretful shabby lookin', wuz a standin' by the door of the hut, and the man had a shovel in his hand, and had been a loadin' sand into a awful big wheelbarrow that wuz a standin' by -- seemin'ly ready to carry it acrost the fields, to where some man wuz a mixin' some motar, to lay the foundations of a barn.
Wall, the old man stood a pantin' by the side of the wheelbarrow, as if he had indeed got on too heavy a load.It wuz piled up high.The horse shied, and Ardelia wuz throwed right out onto the bank of sand, Bial by the side of her.And the old man and woman came a runnin' up, and callin' out, "Bial, my son, my son, are you wounded?"And there it all wuz.Ardelia see the hull on it.The Banker wuz before her, and she wuz a layin' on the bank.And the banker wuz a doin' a heavy business, if anybody doubted it, let 'em take holt and cart a load on it acrost the fields.
Wall, Ardelia wuz jarred fearful, in her heart, her ambition, her pride, and her bones.And as the horse wuz a fleein' far away, and no other conveyance could be found to transport her to the next house (Ardelia wouldn't go into his'n), and night wuz approachin' with rapid strides, the old Banker jest unloaded the load of sand (good old creeter, he would have to load it all over agin), and took Ardelia into the wheelbarrow, and wheeled her over to the next house and unloaded her.
The old Banker told Ardelia that when his neighbor got home he would take her back to Saratoga, which he did.He had been to the village for necessaries, but he turned right round and carried her back to Mr.Pixleyses.And I s'pose Ardelia paid him, mebby as high as 75 cents.As for Bial, he tramped off into the house, and she didn't see him agin, nor didn't want to.
Wall, I s'pose it wuz durin' that ride on the wheelbarrow, that Ardelia's ambition quelled to softer emotions.I s'pose so.She never owned it right up to me, but I s'pose so.
Bial Flamburg hadn't lied a word to her.In all her agony she realized that.But she had built a high towerin' structure of ambition on what he said, and it had tottered.And as is natural in times of danger, the heart turns instinctively to its true love, she thought of Abram Gee, she wanted him.And as if in answer to her deep and lovin' thought, who should come out to the buggy to help her out at Mr.Pixleyses gate, but Abram Gee? He had come unexpected, and on the eight o'clock train, and wuz there waitin' for her.
If Bial Flamburg had been with her, he wouldn't have gone a nigh the buggy, but he see it was a old man, and he rushed out.
Ardelia couldn't walk a step on her feet (owin' to bein shaken up, in bones and feelin's), and Abram jest took her in his strong lovin' arms and carried her into the house, and she sort a clung round his neck, and seemed tickled enough to see him, But she wuz dretful shook up and agitated, and it wuzn't till way along in the night some time, that she wuz able to write a poem called, "a lay on a wheelbarrow; or, the fallen one."Which I thought when I read it, wuz a good name for it, for truly she had fell, and truly she had lay on it.Howsumever, Ardelia wrote that jest because it wuz second nater to write poetry on every identical thing she ever see or did.
She wuz glad enough to get rid of Bial Flamburg, and glad enough to go back to her old love.Abram wuz too manly and tender to say a word to Ardelia that night on the subject nearest to his heart.No, he see she needed rest.But the next day, when they wuz alone together, I s'pose he put the case all before her.All his warm burnin' love for her, all his jealousy, and his wretchedness while she wuz a waverin' between Banks and Bread, how his heart had been checked by the thought that Bial would vault over him, and in the end hold him at a discount.
Why, I s'pose he talked powerful and melted Ardelia's soft little heart till it wuz like the softest kind of dough in his hands.
And then he went on tenderly to say, how he needed her, and how she could mould him to her will.I s'pose he talked well, and eloquent, I s'pose so.Anyhow she accepted him right there in full faith and a pink and white cambric dress.
And they came over and told me about it in the afternoon P.M.
And I felt well and happy in my mind, and wished 'em joy with a full heart and a willin' mind.
They are both good creeters.And she bein' so soft, and he so kinder hardy and stout-hearted, I believe they will get along firstrate.And when she once let her mind and heart free to think on him, she worships him so openly and unreservedly (though soft), that I don't, believe there is a happier man in the hull country.
Wall, I lay out to give'em a handsome present when they be married, which will be in the fall.Mother Gee (who has got as well as can be expected) is goin' to live with Susan.And I'm glad on't.Mother Gee is a good old female no doubt, but it is resky work to take a new husband to live with, and when you take a mother-in-law too it adds to the resk.
But she is goin' to live with Susan; it is her prefference.
And Abram has done so well, that he has bought another five acres onto his place, and is a goin' to fix his house all over splendid before the weddin' day.And Ardelia is to go right from the altar to her home -- it is her own wishes.
She knows enough in her way, Ardelia duz.And she has a wisdom of the heart which sometimes I think, goes fur ahead of the wisdom of the head.And then agin, I think they go well together, wisdom of the head and the heart too.(The times Ithink this is after readin' her poetry.)
But any way she will make Abram a good soft little wife, lovin'
and affectionate always.And good land! he loves her to that extent that it wouldn't make no difference to him if she didn't know enough to come in when it rained.He would fetch her in, drippin' and worship her, damp or dry.
