Part 50 (2/2)
”_Mon jheu_, Biddy, I've got such a fright. I'm mos' dead. Three ghosties came out of Sleepin' Water, and chased us,--we were back for gold. Suretta an' Mosee-Delice have run home. They're mos' scairt to pieces. Oh, I'll never sin again. I wisht I'd made my Easter duties.
I'll go to confession to-morrer.”
”It was I, my aunt,” cried Bidiane, in distress.
”It was awful,” moaned Mirabelle Marie. ”I see the speerit of me mother, I see the speerit of me sister, I see the speerit of me leetle lame child.”
”It was the dog,” exclaimed Bidiane, and, gazing around the kitchen for him, she discovered Agapit sitting quietly in a corner.
”Oh, how do you do?” she said, in some embarra.s.sment; then she again gave her attention to her distressed aunt.
”The dogue,--Biddy, you ain't crazy?”
”Yes, yes, the dog and Claudine and I. See how she is laughing. We heard your plans, we followed you, we dressed in sheets.”
”The dogue,” reiterated Mirabelle Marie, in blank astonishment, and pointing to Bastarache, who lay under the sofa solemnly winking at her.
”Ain't he ben plumped down there ever since supper, Claude?”
”Yes, he's ben there.”
”But Claude sleeps in the evenings,” urged Bidiane. ”I a.s.sure you that Bastarache was with us.”
”Oh, the dear leetle liar,” said Mirabelle Marie, affectionately embracing her. ”But I'm glad to git back again to yeh.”
”I'm telling the truth,” said Bidiane, desperately. ”Can't you speak, Claudine?”
”We did go,” said Claudine, who was still possessed by a demon of laughter. ”We followed you.”
”Followed us to Sleepin' Water! You're lyin', too. _Sakerje_, it was awful to see me mother and me sister and the leetle dead child,” and she trotted both feet wildly on the floor, while her rolling eye sought comfort from Bidiane.
”What shall I do?” said Bidiane. ”Mr. LeNoir, you will believe me. I wanted to cure my aunt of her foolishness. We took sheets--”
”Sheets?” repeated Mirabelle. ”Whose sheets?”
”Yours, my aunt,--oh, it was very bad in us, but they were old ones; they had holes.”
”What did you do with 'em?”
”We threw them in the lake.”
”Come, now, look at that, ha, ha,” and Mirabelle Marie laughed in a quavering voice. ”I can see Claudine throwing sheets in the lake. She would make pickin's of 'em. Don't lie, Bidiane, me girl, or you'll see ghosties. You want to help your poor aunt,--you've made up a nice leetle lie, but don't tell it. See, Jude and Edouard are heatin' some soup.
Give some to Agapit LeNoir and take a cup yourself.”
Bidiane, with a gesture of utter helplessness, gave up the discussion and sat down beside Agapit.
”You believe me, do you not?” she asked, under cover of the joyful bustle that arose when the two boys began to pa.s.s around the soup.
”Yes,” he replied, making a wry face over his steaming cup.
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