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know how it is, Si Ann, in the berry lot now if there are bushes hanginā€™ full of big ones jest over the fence and somebody else is gittinā€™ ā€™em all, you kinder want to jine in and git some on ā€™em yourself, though you may be a perfesser and singinā€™ a Sam tune at the time, specially if the fence is broke down that separates you. I can see how it wuz with that Piece Commission and make allowances for ā€™em, but we didnā€™t have a thing to do with it and we donā€™t want any of the pieces.ā€ My axent carried conviction with it; I see she looked relieved. She didnā€™t 216 say it right out, but I felt that we hadnā€™t fell in her estimation, and I went on:

ā€œAnd I donā€™t want you to blame Uncle Sam either, Si Ann. I believe he will help you all he can, help you in the right way, too; help you to help yourselves. But your folks have got to brace up and do their part; Uncle Sam will neighbor with you if you give him a chance. Heā€™s real good-hearted, though beinā€™ so easy and good-natered, he is deceived lots of times and influenced and led around by them that want to make money out of him, such as the trusts and the liquor power. But he stands ready to neighbor with you, and donā€™t turn your back on him, Si Ann. Donā€™t do anything to get him huffy, for though he hainā€™t quick to git mad, heā€™s got a temper when itā€™s rousted up.ā€

She said sunthinā€™ about Uncle Sam turninā€™ her folks out and not lettinā€™ ā€™em step their feet on our sile. I couldnā€™t deny it, and it kinder danted me for a minute how I wuz goinā€™ to smooth that over, but concluded that as in every other emergency in life, the plain truth wuz the best, and I sez in a real amiable voice:

ā€œSi Ann, there is two sides to that jest as there is to every national and neighborhood quarrel. Uncle Sam hainā€™t liked the way your folks have acted with him, and though I dare presoom to say heā€™s some to blame, yet I can see where your folks have missed it. They would flock right over to our place, crowdinā€™ our own folks out of house and home, and expect Uncle Sam to protect ā€™em, and then they would jest rake and scrape all they could offen us and go home to spend their money; wouldnā€™t even leave one of their bones in our ground. They didnā€™t want to become citizens of the United States, they seemed to kinder want to set down and stand up at the same time, which hainā€™t reasonable if it is done by an American or a Chinee.ā€

She said sunthinā€™ about the masses of other foreigners that Uncle Sam allowed to crowd into our country.

ā€œWell,ā€ sez I, ā€œtheyā€™re willinā€™ to become citizens, the 217 German and English and Irish and Russian and Italian babies grow up Americans. But it wuznā€™t so with your folks, Si Ann. From the childrenā€™s little pig-tails down to their little wooden shues they wuz clear China, soaked in, dyed in the wool, born so, and as long as their bones hung together and afterwards, clear China. They kepā€™ themselves jest as fur from American institutions and beliefs as ile stays away from water and wouldnā€™t mix any more. Their bodies stayed on our shores whilst they could make money out of us. But their souls and minds wuz jest as fur removed from our institutions and constitutions as if they wuz settinā€™ in Jupiter with their legs hanginā€™ off. It wuz galdinā€™ to Uncle Sam and finally he had to stop it. But he didnā€™t do it out of meanness. He jest had to, for of course you know your own folks come first.ā€

And thinkinā€™ mebby Iā€™d been too hash describinā€™ her folks I went on, ā€œI spoze mebby that high stun wall of yourn has kinder stiffened and hardened the nature of your folks and made it harder for ā€™em to change. But youā€™re on the right track now, Si Ann, you have begun to break down that big wall, youā€™ve begun to be more neighborly. And donā€™t you ever crouch down and hide behind that great stun wall agin; you jest keep right on beinā€™ neighborly and Uncle Sam will help you.ā€

Si Ann looked real good and as if she took every word I said in good part; beinā€™ naterally so smart she would recognize the onselfishness and nobility of my mission, but I see that there wuz a real pert look on one of the ladiesā€™ faces as she said sunthinā€™ to one of the other ones, and I mistrusted that they didnā€™t like what I had said about that wall of theirn, and I went on to say to Si Ann:

ā€œOf course you may say that a nation or a woman has a right to do as theyā€™ve a mind to, but common sense must be used if you are goinā€™ to enjoy yourself much in this world. Now, we had a neighbor in Jonesville that sot out in married life determined not to borrow or lend, dretful exclusive, 218 jest built a high wall of separation round herself and family. But after tryinā€™ it for a year or so she wuz glad to give it up, and many is the cup of tea and sugar Iā€™ve lent her since, and she borries and lends her washtub now or biler, or settinā€™ hens, or anythinā€™. And she sez that she and her family takes as much aginā€™ comfort now and are doinā€™ as well aginā€™, for of course the neighbors didnā€™t set so much store by ā€™em as they did when their ports wuz open, as you may say, and they wuz more neighborly.ā€

I could see by Si Annā€™s face that she not only enjoyed all I said, but believed a good share onā€™t, and beinā€™ such a case for justice, I felt that I ort to let her know I realized our own nationā€™s short-cominā€™s, as well as hern. Sez I, ā€œI hainā€™t got a word to say to you, Si Ann, about the different castes in your country, when the wimmen in my own land build up a wall between themselves and their kitchen helpers higher than the highest peak of your stun wall and harder to git over, and I donā€™t want to say a word about your folks bindinā€™ down their childrenā€™s feet to make ā€™em small as long as our own females pinch down their waists till theyā€™re in perfect agony and ten times as bad as to pinch their feet, for the life, the vital organs donā€™t lay in the feet, or hainā€™t spozed to, and so it donā€™t hurt ā€™em half so much to be tortured. And as long as they drag round yards of silk and velvet through the streets to rake up filth and disease to carry home and endanger their own lives and their families; no, as long as our females do all this I hainā€™t nothinā€™ to say about your dress and customs here, nor I hainā€™t a goinā€™ to cast reflections agin you about your men wearinā€™ night gowns and braidinā€™ their hair down their backs. Good land, Si Ann! you and I know what men be. We are married wimmen and seen trouble. You couldnā€™t stop ā€™em if you tried to. If Josiah Allen took it into his head to braid his hair down his back, I should have to let it go on unless I broke it up sarahuptishly by cuttinā€™ it off when he wuz asleep, but thank fortinā€™ he hainā€™t got enough so that the braid would be bigger than a pipe stale anyway if he should let it grow out, and he is so dressy he wouldnā€™t like that. But Iā€™ve tried to break up his wearinā€™ such gay neckties for years and years, and if he should go out and buy one to-day it would most likely be red and yaller.ā€


I withdrawed him, bowinā€™ very low and smilinā€™ at her.ā€“ā€“Page 219.

219

I felt that China hadnā€™t been used exactly right; I knowed it. Younger nationsā€“ā€“new-comers, as you may sayā€“ā€“had made light on her and abused her, usinā€™ the very type the Chinese had invented to say they didnā€™t know anything and usinā€™ the gunpowder they had invented to blow ā€™em up with. I had felt that the Powers hadnā€™t treated ā€™em well, and I had made up my mind some time ago that when I see the Powers I should tell ā€™em what I thought onā€™t. Then there wuz the opium tradeā€“ā€“a burninā€™ shame! I wanted to sympathize with her about that, but thought mebby it wuz best to not harrer up her feelinā€™s any more, so I sez in a real polite way:

ā€œI have nothinā€™ further to say now, Si Ann, only to bid you adoo and to tell you that if you ever come to Jonesville be sure and come and see me; Iā€™ll be proud and happy to have you.ā€

Here Josiah had to put in his note: ā€œGood-by, Widder!ā€ sez he. If I had had time I would have tutored him; he spoke just as he would to widder Gowdey. I wanted him to act more courtly and formal, but it wuz too late, it wuz spoke. ā€œGood-by, Widder; weā€™ll have to be a-goinā€™. Weā€™ve had quite a spell of weather, but it looks some like rain now, and I have a important engagement to-night, and weā€™ll have to be gittinā€™ hum.ā€

But I gently withdrawed him, bowinā€™ very low myself and lookinā€™ dretful smilinā€™ at her.

Like all great monarchs, she wanted to make her visitors a present, and she proposed to send us several drawinā€™s of tea of the kind she used, and a little hunk of opium, though, as I told her, I should never use it in the world only to smoke in a pipe for the toothache; and she also proposed to send us 220 a china sugar-bowl and a piece of the Chinee wall, which last I told her I should value high as a sign that the old things wuz passinā€™ away and better days cominā€™.

And then I made some more real low bows and Josiah did, beinā€™ wunk at by me, and we withdrawed ourselves from the Presence. But Josiah, always overdoinā€™ things, takinā€™ out his bandanna and a-wavinā€™ it towards her as he bowed most to the ground. But what wuz my surprise as we walked away kinder backward, Josiah mutterinā€™ to me that he should fall flat if he backed off much furder! What wuz my horrow to see Arvilly advance with a copy of her books and present ā€™em to the Empress. One of the ladies-in-waiting, who seemed to talk English quite considerable, looked at the books and read their titles to her Majesty, who immediately signified her desire to purchase ā€™em, and before she left the group Arvilly had sold three copies of the ā€œTwin Crimesā€ and two of the ā€œWild and Warlike.ā€

Poor Empress! Poor Si Ann! Well might she treasure the last-named book, ā€œThe Wild, Wicked and Warlike Deeds of Men.ā€ Poor thing! I am afraid she will see plenty of it herself. Them Powers, sometimes, when they git to goinā€™, act like the Old Harry.

221 CHAPTER XX

The engagement my pardner had spoke on wuz to meet a Chinaman that wuz cominā€™ to see Robert Strong that eveninā€™. Robert had met him in California, and Josiah seemed dretful anxious to git home so as to dress up for his reception. And I sez, ā€œThere is time enough; I shouldnā€™t think it would take you more than two hours to wash your hands and change your neck-tie.ā€

ā€œWell,ā€ sez he, in a evasive way, ā€œIā€“ā€“I donā€™t want to be scrimped for time.ā€

So, as Tommy and I wanted to stop along on the way, he left us and went home. Robert had told us a good deal about this man, Mr. Hi-wal-hum; about his wealth and high official standing, and Josiah had been talkinā€™ more or less about him all day; he looked forrered to it. He had said to me: ā€œSamantha, this man is a Potentate, and it stands us in hand to be polite always to Potentates.ā€

Well, I couldnā€™t dispute him nor didnā€™t want to. When we arriv home I thought I would have jest about time to go to my room and wash my face and hands and put on a clean collar and cuffs and change Tommyā€™s clothes. Tommy went on a little ahead of me, and I see him bend down and stretch his little neck forrered and look through the door as if he wuz agast

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