Joseph and His Friend. James Bayard Taylor

tion>

       James Bayard Taylor

      Joseph and His Friend

      A Story of Pennsylvania

      Published by Good Press, 2020

       [email protected]

      EAN 4064066063900

Table of Contents

       Joseph

       Miss Blessing

       The Place and People

       Miss Blessing calls on Rachel Miller

       Elwood's Evening, and Joseph's

       In the Garden

       The Blessing Family

       A Consultation

       Joseph and his Friend

       Approaching Fate

       A City Wedding

       Clouds

       Presentiments

       The Amaranth

       A Dinner Party

       Joseph's Trouble, and Philip's

       A Storm

       On the Railroad Track

       The "Wharf-rat"

       A Crisis

       Under the Water

       Kanuck

       Julia's Experiment

       Fate

       The Mourners

       The Accusation

       The Labels

       The Trial

       New Evidence

       Mr. Blessing's Testimony

       Beginning another Life

       Letters—I. Joseph to Philip

       All are Happy

      ​

      Joseph

       Table of Contents

JOSEPH AND HIS FRIEND. "The better angel is a man right fair; The worser spirit a woman colored ill." Shakespeare, Sonnets.

      CHAPTER I.

      JOSEPH.

      Rachel Miller was not a little surprised when her nephew Joseph came to the supper-table, not from the direction of the barn and through the kitchen, as usual, but from the back room up stairs, where he slept. His work-day dress had disappeared; he wore his best Sunday suit, put on with unusual care, and there were faint pomatum odors in the air when he sat down to the table.

      Her face said—and she knew it as—plain as any words, "What in the world does this mean?" Joseph, she saw, endeavored to look as though coming down to supper in that costume were his usual habit; so she poured out the tea in silence. Her silence, however, was eloquent; a hundred interrogation-marks would not have expressed its import; and Dennis, the hired man, who sat on the other side of the table, experienced very much the same apprehension of something forthcoming, as when he had killed her favorite speckled hen by mistake.

      Before the meal was over, the tension between Joseph and his aunt had so increased by reason of their mutual silence, ​that it was very awkward and oppressive to both; yet neither knew how to break it easily. There is always a great deal of unnecessary reticence in the intercourse of country people, and in the case of these two it had been specially strengthened by the want of every relationship except that of blood. They were quite ignorant of the fence, the easy thrust and parry of society, where talk becomes an art; silence or the bluntest utterance were their alternatives, and now the one had neutralized the other. Both felt this, and Dennis, in his dull way, felt it too. Although not a party concerned, he was uncomfortable, yet also internally conscious of a desire to laugh.

      The resolution of the crisis, however, came by his aid. When the meal was finished and Joseph betook himself to the window, awkwardly drumming upon the pane, while his aunt gathered the plates and cups together, delaying to remove them as was her wont, Dennis said, with his hand on the door-knob: "Shall I saddle the horse right off?"

      "I guess so," Joseph answered, after a moment's hesitation.

      Rachel paused, with the two silver spoons in her hand. Joseph was still drumming upon the window, but with very irregular taps. The door closed upon Dennis.

      "Well," said she, with singular calmness, "a body is not bound to dress particularly fine for watching, though I would as soon show him that much respect, if need be, as anybody else. Don't forget to ask Maria if there's anything I can do for her."

      Joseph turned around with a start, a most innocent surprise on his face.

      "Why, aunt, what are you talking