第62章 ADVENTURES AT VARIOUS SPRINGS(2)

And Josiah put on his hat and hurried out.He meant well.But it is quite a nack for pardners to know jest when to cry, and when to laff.

Wall, he follered up that spring, and drinked more, fur more than wuz good for him of that water.And then anon, he would hear of another one, and some dretful big story about it, and he would foller that up, and so it went on, he a follerin' on, and I a bein' megum, and drinkin' stiddy, but moderate.And as it might be expected, I gained in health every day, and every hour.For the waters is good, there haint no doubt of it.

But Josiah takin' em as he did, bobbin' round from one to the other, drinkin' 'em at all hours of day and night, and floodin'

himself out with 'em, every one on 'em -- why, he lost strength and health every day, till I felt truly, that if it went on much longer, I should go home in weeds.Not mullein, or burdock, or anything of that sort, but crape.

But at last a event occurred that sort a sot him to thinkin' and quelled him down some.One day we sot out for a walk, Josiah and Ardelia Tutt and me.And in spite of all my protestations, my pardner had drinked 11 glasses full of the spring he wuz a follerin' then.And he looked white round the lips as anything.

And Ardelia and I wuz a sittin' in a good shady place, and Josiah a little distance off, when a man ackosted him, a man with black eyes and black whiskers, and sez, "You look pale, Sir.What water are you a drinkin'?"And Josiah told him that at that time he wuz a drinkin' the water from the Immortal spring.

"Drinkin' that water?" sez the man, startin' back horrefied.

"Yes," sez Josiah, turnin' paler than ever, for the man's looks wuz skairful in the extreme.

"Oh! oh!" groaned the man."And you are a married man?" he groaned out mournfully, a lookin' pitifully at him."With a family?""Yes," sez Josiah, faintly.

"Oh dear," sez the man, "must it be so, to die, so -- so lamented?""To die!" sez Josiah, turnin' white jest round the lip.

"Yes, to die! Did you not say you had been a drinkin' the water from the Immortal spring?""Yes," sez Josiah.

"Wall, it is a certain, a deadly poison.""Haint there no help for me?" sez Josiah.

"Yes," sez the man, "You must drink from the Live-forever spring, at the other end of the village.That water has the happy effect of neutralizin' the poisons of the Immortal spring.If anything can save you that can.Why," sez he, "folks that have been entirely broke down, and made helpless and hopeless invalids, them that have been brung down on their death-beds by the use of that vile Immortal water, have been cured by a few glasses of the pure healin' waters of the Live-forever spring.I'd advise you for your own sake, and the sake of your family, who would mourn your ontimely decese, to drink from that spring at once.""But," sez Josiah, with a agonized and hopeless look, "I can't drink no more now.""Why?" sez the man.

"Because I don't hold any more.I don't hold but two quarts, and I have drinked 11 tumblers full now.""Eleven glasses of that poison?" sez the man.

"Wall, if it is too late I am not to blame.I've warned you.

Farewell," sez he, a graspin' holt of Josiah's hand."Farewell, forever.But if you do live," sez he, "if by a miricle you are saved, remember the Live-forever spring.If there is any help for you it is in them waters."And he dashed away, for another stranger wuz approachin' the seen.

I, myself, didn't have no idee that Josiah wuz a goin' to die.

But Ardelia whispered to me, she must go back to the hotel, so she went.I see she looked kinder strange, and I didn't object to it.And when we got back she handed me some verses entitled:

"Stanzas on the death of Josiah Allen."

She handed 'em to me, and hastened away, quick.But Josiah Allen didn't die.And this incident made him more megum.More as Iwanted him to be.Why, you have to be megum in everything, no matter how good it is.Milk porridge, or the Bible, or anything.

You can kill yourself on milk porridge if you drink enough.And you can set down and read the Bible, till you grow to your chair, and lose your eyesight.

Now these waters are dretful good, but you have got to use some megumness with 'em, it stands to reason you have.Taint megum to drink from 10 to 12 glasses at a time, and mix your drinks goin'

round from spring to spring like a luny.No; get a good doctor to tell you what minerals you seem to stand in need on the most, and then try to get 'em with fear and tremblin'.You'll get help I haint a doubt on't.For they are dretful good for varius things that afflict the human body.Dretful!