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Just as the happy band was about to start, Father Somazzo called Peppo back, for it occurred to him that perhaps the man, who had a few days previous to this so impudently demanded possession of him, might try to kidnap him. "Peppo", he said, addressing Lihu by his Italian nickname, "Peppo, you know that I mean well by you."
He took his place beside the coffin of his friend, looked gently at that face, and squared his shoulders for a moment then, and held his head with the old manly air: "When Uncle 'Lihu died," said he; "my friend and me walked home together from the funeral, and Luther says to me: 'I want you to promise me, George, that if I shed die, you wouldn't have that man to preach over me, meanin' the minister, though he was kindly to him; 'and he means well, says he; 'but he don't understand us; he knows naught about us 'ceptin' that now we're dead, and not bein' used to them long texts o' hisn, it frets our folks, says he.
But Miss Yerden looked tickled, she is so blind in her own conceit, and Lihu spoke so polite to her, she thought he considered her word as goin' beyend the Bible. Then Lophemia Pegrum spoke up, and sez she "Don't you believe in keeping the Sabbath, Lihu?" "Yes, indeed, I do," sez he, firm and decided. "I do believe in it with all my heart.
And, sez she, "Much as I want to see the Fair, and much as I want Cornelius and Cornelius Jr. to go to it, and the rest of the country, I would ruther not have it take place at all than to have it open Sundays." "And I feel jest so," sez Miss Henzy. Then young Lihu Widrig spoke up. He is old Elihu Widrig's only son, and he has been off to college, and is home on a vacation.
'Bobby Towns, another Mare boatman, had both his thumbs cut in warding off blows, one of them being so nearly severed from the hand that the doctors had to finish the operation. Lihu, a Lifu boy, the recruiter's special attendant, was cut and pricked in various places, but nowhere seriously.
'Who then, 'Lihu? says I. 'Jesus, says he, with that queer, smilin' look, as though it was the naturalest thing on earth. 'He'll wake me up when , and he couldn't wait no longer, his head fell over as heavy as a log, and that's the way he's been ever since, sleepin' like death. "Wall, Cinthy thinks somebody'd ought to come in and make a prayer. 'He wasn't a perfessor, says she.
"What, little Lihu, are you not going to the celebration? Why, down in the marketplace there is the finest puppet show that was ever seen or heard of anywhere," said Totu in a sympathetic tone of voice. "I can't," said he, "Father Somazzo is an old tyrant. He wants me to renounce this pleasure, to make a sacrifice to God to-night by staying at home." "Oh, nonsense!" answered the tempter.
And 'Lihu wasn't a professor, neither; and maybe he hadn't no right to take the comfort out o' them words that he did; and maybe I hain't no right, and it's only like a string o' music that'll keep a runnin' in a body's head sometimes and they not thinkin' nor meanin' any thin'. "I don't see any further into it than I did afore.
Him and me was the youngest, we was always together, and I couldn't 'a' called him up so before me, to save me; but there he was, as plain as life, with his little blue checked apron on, a skippin' along towards me over the logs, and his eyes a dancin', and the wind a blowin' his hair out; and all the while I couldn't help a knowin' that 'Lihu was a man grown, a dyin' there before me on the bed.
But I don't believe a righteous God'll make poor 'Lihu suffer any worse than he has in the last ten weeks. But it's strange, all the time I was a' sittin' there by him, when he was worst, it kept comin' up before me, jest as he was when he was a little boy.
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