But, Sam, I hope General Sullivan wasnt a wicked man, was he?
Wal, I wouldnt say he was railly wickeder than the run; but he was one o these ere high-stepping, big-feeling fellers, that seem to be a hevin their portion in this life. Drefful proud he was; and he was pretty much sot on this world, and kep a sort o court goin on round him. Wal, I dont jedge him nor nobody: folks that hes the world is apt to get sot on it. Dont none on us do more than middlin well.
But, Sam, what about Ruth Sullivan?
Ruth?Oh, yis!Ruth
Wal, ye see, the only crook in the old Ginerals lot was he didnt hev no children. Mis Sullivan, she was a beautiful woman, as handsome as a pictur; but she never had but one child; and he was a son who died when he was a baby, and about broke her heart. And then this ere Ruth was her sisters child, that was born about the same time; and, when the boy died, they took Ruth home to sort o fill his place, and kind o comfort up Mis Sullivan. And then Ruths father and mother died; and they adopted her for their own, and brought her up.
Wal, she grew up to be amazin handsome. Why, everybody said that she was jest the light and glory of that are old Sullivan place, and worth moren all the picturs and the silver and the jewels, and all there was in the house; and she was jest so innercent and sweet, that you never see nothing to beat it. Wal, your Aunt Lois she got acquainted with Ruth one summer when she was up to Old Town a visitin at Parson Lothrops. Your Aunt Lois was a gal then, and a pretty good-lookin one too; and, somehow or other, she took to Ruth, and Ruth took to her. And when Ruth went home, they used to be a writin backwards and forads; and I guess the fact was, Ruth thought about as much of your Aunt Lois as she did o anybody. Ye see, your aunt was a kind o strong up-and-down woman that always knew certain jest what she did know; and Ruth, she was one o them gals that seems sort o like a stray lamb or a dove thats sort o lost their way in the world, and wants some one to show em where to go next. For, ye see, the fact was, the old Gineral and Madam, they didnt agree very well. He want well pleased that she didnt have no children; and she was sort o jealous o him cause she got hold o some sort of story about how he was to a married somebody else over there in England: so she got sort o riled up, jest as wimmen will, the best on em; and they was pretty apt to have spats, and one could give tother as good as they sent; and, by all accounts, they fit putty lively sometimes. And, between the two, Ruth she was sort o scared, and fluttered like a dove that didnt know jest where to settle. Ye see, there she was in; that are great wide house, where they was a feastin and a prancin and a dancin, and a goin on like Ahashuerus and Herodias and all them old Scripture days. There was acomin and goin, and there was gret dinners and gret doins, but no love; and, you know, the Scriptur says, Better is a dinner o yarbs, where love is, than a stalled ox, and hatred therewith.
Wal, I dont orter say hatred, arter all. I kind o reckon, the old Gineral did the best he could: the fact is, when a woman gits a kink in her head agin a man, the best on us dont allers do jest the right thing.
Any way, Ruth, she was sort o forlorn, and didnt seem to take no comfort in the goins on. The Gineral he was mighty fond on her, and proud on her; and there want nothin too good for Ruth. He was free-handed, the Gineral wuz. He dressed her up in silks and satins, and she hed a maid to wait on her, and she hed sets o pearl and dimond; and Madam Sullivan she thought all the world on her, and kind o worshipped the ground she trod on. And yet Ruth was sort o lonesome.
Ye see, Ruth want calculated for grander. Some folks aint.
Why, that are summer she spent out to Old Town, she was jest as chirk and chipper as a wren, a wearin her little sun-bunnet, and goin a huckle-berryin and a black-berryin and diggin sweet-flag, and gettin cowslops and dandelions; and she hed a word for everybody. And everybody liked Ruth, and wished her well. Wal, she was sent for her health; and she got that, and more too: she got a sweetheart.
Ye see, there was a Capn Oliver a visitin at the ministers that summer,a nice, handsome young man as ever was. He and Ruth and your Aunt Lois, they was together a good deal; and they was a ramblin and a ridin and a sailin: and so Ruth and the Capting went the way o all the airth, and fell dead in love with each other. Your Aunt Lois she was knowing to it and all about it, cause Ruth she was jest one of them that couldnt take a step without somebody to talk to.
Captain Oliver was of a good family in England; and so, when he made bold to ask the old Gineral for Ruth, he didnt say him nay: and it was agreed, as they was young, they should wait a year or two. If he and she was of the same mind, he should be free to marry her. Jest right on that, the Captains regiment was ordered home, and he had to go; and, the next they heard, it was sent off to India. And poor little Ruth she kind o drooped and pined; but she kept true, and wouldnt have nothin to say to nobody that came arter her, for there was lots and cords o fellows as did come arter her. Ye see, Ruth had a takin way with her; and then she had the name of bein a great heiress, and that allers draws fellers, as molasses does flies.
Wal, then the news came, that Captain Oliver was comin home to England, and the ship was took by the Algerenes, and he was gone into slavery there among them heathen Mahomedans and what not.
Folks seemed to think it was all over with him, and Ruth might jest as well give up fust as last. And the old Gineral hed come to think she might do better; and he kep a introducin one and another, and tryin to marry her off; but Ruth she wouldnt. She used to write sheets and sheets to your Aunt Lois about it; and I think Aunt Lois she kep her grit up. Your Aunt Lois shed a stuck by a man to the end o time eft ben her case; and so she told Ruth.
Wal, then there was young Jeff Sullivan, the Ginerals nephew, he turned up; and the Gineral he took a gret fancy to him. He was next heir to the Gineral; but hed ben a pretty rackety youngster in his young days,off to sea, and what not, and sowed a considable crop o wild oats. People said hed been a pirating off there in South Ameriky. Lordy massy! nobody rightly knew where he hed ben or where he hadnt: all was, he turned up at last all alive, and chipper as a skunk blackbird. Wal, of course he made his court to Ruth; and the Gineral, he rather backed him up in it; but Ruth she wouldnt have nothin to say to him. Wal, he come and took up his lodgin at the Ginerals; and he was jest as slippery as an eel, and sort o slid into every thing, that was a goin on in the house and about it. He was here, and he was there, and he was everywhere, and a havin his say about this and that; and he got everybody putty much under his thumb. And they used to say, he wound the Gineral round and round like a skein o yarn; but he couldnt come it round Ruth.
Wal, the Gineral said she shouldnt be forced; and Jeff, he was smooth as satin, and said hed be willing to wait as long as Jacob did for Rachel. And so there he sot down, a watchin as patient as a cat at a mouse-hole; cause the Gineral he was thick-set and short-necked, and drank pretty free, and was one o the sort that might pop off any time.