Part 13 (2/2)
voyages then. Mother died in 1900 and he gave up goin' to sea that year.
He and I lived here together until two years ago next August; then he died. I have been here since, with Primmie to help. I suppose likely I shall stay here now until I die--or dry up with old age and blow away, or somethin'. That is, I shall stay provided I--I can.”
There was a change in her tone as she spoke the last words. Galusha, glancing up, saw that she was gazing out of the window. He waited for her to go on, but she did not. He looked out of the window also, but there was nothing to be seen, nothing except the fields and hills, cold and bleak in the gathering dusk. After an interval she stirred and rose from her chair.
”Ah, well,” she said, with a shrug, and a return to her usual brisk manner, ”there isn't a bit of use in makin' today to-morrow, is there, Mr. Bangs? And today's been nice and pleasant, and they can't take it from us.”
Galusha looked very much surprised. ”Why, dear me, dear me!” he exclaimed. ”That's extremely odd, now really.”
”What?”
”Why, your--ah--remark about making to-day to-morrow. Almost precisely the same thing was said to me at one time by another person. It is quite extraordinary.”
”Oh, not so very, I guess. A million folks must have thought it and said it since Adam. Who said it to you, Mr. Bangs?”
”A--ah--person in Abyssinia. He had stolen my--ah--s.h.i.+rt and I warned him that he should be punished on the following day. He laughed and I asked him what there was to laugh at. Then he made the remark about to-morrow's being afar off and that today the sun shone, or words to that effect. It seems strange that you should say it. Quite a coincidence, Miss Phipps, don't you think so?”
”Why--why, I suppose you might call it that. But WHAT did you say this man had stolen?”
”My--ah--s.h.i.+rt. I had another, of course; in fact I was wearing it, but the one he took was the only whole one remaining in my kit. I was quite provoked.”
”I should think you might have been. What sort of creature was he, for goodness sakes?”
”Oh, he was an Arab camel driver. A very good man, too.”
”Yes, he must have been. Did you get your s.h.i.+rt back?”
”No--ah--no. The fact is, he had put it on and--as he was rather--well, soiled, so to speak, I let him keep it. And he really was a very good man, I mean a good camel driver.”
Miss Martha regarded her guest thoughtfully.
”Where did you say this was, Mr. Bangs?”
”In the Abyssinian desert. We were there at the time.”
”Abyssinia? Abyssinia? That's in Africa, isn't it?”
”Yes, northern Africa.”
”Mercy me, that's a long way off.”
”Oh, not so very, when one becomes accustomed to the journey. The first time I found it rather tiring, but not afterward.”
”Not afterward. You mean you've been there more than once?”
”Yes--ah--yes. Three times.”
”But why in the world do you go to such an outlandish place as that three times?”
”Oh, on research work, connected with my--ah--profession. There are some very interesting remains in that section.”
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