Part 16 (1/2)
”Yes!” he said. ”G.o.d knows I do. But you are wholly mistaken in thinking--that is--she wouldn't have me.”
”I expect she would!” said Ithuriel b.u.t.ters. ”I expect that is jest what she would have. I see her when you was layin' there, all stove up; you might have be'n barrel-staves, the way you looked. I see her face, and I don't need to see no more.”
Geoffrey tried to say something about kindness and womanly pity, but the strong old voice bore him down.
”I know what pity looks like, and I know the other thing. She's no soft-heart to squinch at the sight of blood, and that sort of foolery.
Tell ye, she was jest as quiet and cool as if 'twas a church sociable, and she set that bone as easy and chirk as my woman would take a pie out the oven; but when she had you all piecened up, and stood and looked at you--wal, there!”
”Don't! I cannot let you!” cried Geoffrey. His voice was full of distress; but was it the western sun that made his face so bright?
”Wal, there's all kinds of fools,” said Mr. b.u.t.ters. ”Got the teethache?”
”Toothache? no! why?”
”Thought you hollered as if ye had. How would you go to work to cure the teethache now, s'posin' you had it?”
”I should go to a dentist, and let him cure it for me.”
”S'posin' you lived ten mile from a dentist, young feller? you're too used to settin' in the middle of creation and jerkin' the reins for the hoss to go. Jonas E. Homer had the teethache once, bad.”
He paused.
”Well,” said the young doctor, ”who was Jonas E. Homer, and how did he cure his toothache?”
”Jonas Elimelech was his full name,” said Mr. b.u.t.ters, settling himself comfortably in his chair. ”He's neighbour to me, about five miles out on the Buffy Landin' ro'd. Yes, he had the teethache bad. Wife wanted him to go and have 'em hauled, but he said he wouldn't have no feller goin' fis.h.i.+n' in _his_ mouth. No, sir! he went and he bored a hole in the northeast side of a beech-tree, and put in a hair of a yaller dawg, and then plugged up the hole with a pine plug. That was ten years ago, and he's never had the teethache sence. He told me that himself.”
”It's a good story,” said the young doctor. ”Do you believe it, Mr.
b.u.t.ters?”
”Wal, I do'no' as I exactly believe it; I was sort of ill.u.s.tratin' the different kinds of fools there was in the world, that's all.”
They were silent. The sun went down, but the light stayed in the young doctor's face.
There was a commotion in the room below. Voices were raised, feminine voices, shrill with excitement. Then came a bustle on the stairs, and the sound of feet; then one voice, breathless but decided.
”I tell ye, I know the way. There's no need to show me, and I won't have it. I haven't been up these stairs for near seventy years, Phoebe, since the day of your caudle-party, but I know the way as well as you do, and I'll thank you to stay where you are.”
The next moment the door opened, and Mrs. Tree stood on the threshold, panting and triumphant. Her black eyes twinkled with affection and malice. ”Well, young sir!” she said, as Geoffrey ran to give her his sound arm, and led her in, and placed her in the seat of honour. ”Fine doings since I last saw you! Humph! you look pretty well, considering all. Who's this? Ithuriel b.u.t.ters! How do you do, Ithuriel? I haven't seen you for forty years, but I should know you in the Fiji Islands.”
”I should know you, too, anywhere, Mis' Tree!” responded Mr. b.u.t.ters, heartily. ”I'm rejoicin' glad to see ye.”
”You wear well, Ithuriel,” said Mrs. Tree, kindly. ”If you would cut all that mess of hair and beard, you would be a good-looking man still; but I didn't come here to talk to you.”
She turned to Geoffrey in some excitement. ”I'll speak right out,” she said. ”Now's now, and next time's never. I've let the cat out of the bag. Phoebe has found out about little Vesta's setting your arm and all, and she's proper mad. Says she'll send the child home to-morrow for good and all. She's getting on her shoes this minute; I never could abide those morocco shoes. She'll be up here in no time. I thought I'd come up first and tell you.”
She looked eagerly at the young doctor; but his eyes were fixed on the window, and he scarcely seemed to hear her. Following his gaze, she saw a white dress glimmering against the soft dusk of the garden shrubs.