Volume Ii Part 29 (2/2)
”Over there.”
”Over where?” asked the merchant, raising his eyes towards a neighbouring barn before him.
”Yonder,” added Uncle Dozie, making a sort of indescribable nod backward with his head.
”Yonder!--In the street do you mean? Are you going to throw them away?”
”Throw away such a cauliflower as this!” exclaimed Uncle Dozie, with great indignation.
”What are you going to do with them, then?”
”Carry them to the house there.”
”What house?”
”Mrs. Wyllys's, to be sure,” replied Uncle Dozie, boldly.
”What is the use of carrying vegetables to Mrs. Wyllys? She has a garden of her own” said his brother, very innocently.
”Miserable garden--poor, thin soil,” muttered Uncle Dozie.
”Is it? Well, then, I can understand it; but you might us well send them by the gardener.”
Uncle Dozie made no reply, but proceeded to arrange his vegetables in the basket, with an eye to appearances; he had gathered them all up again, but another object which had fallen on the gra.s.s lay unnoticed.
”What is that--a book?” asked his brother.
Uncle Dozie turned round, saw the volume, picked it up, and thrust it in his pocket.
”Did you drop it? I didn't know you ever carried a book about you,” replied his brother, with some surprise. ”What is it?”
”A book of poetry.”
”Whose poetry?”
”I am sure I've forgotten,” replied Uncle Dozie, taking a look askance at the t.i.tle, as it half-projected from his pocket. ”It's Coleridge's Ancient Mariner,” he added.
{”Coleridge's...” = ”The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (1798) by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834). A number of chapter epigraphs in ”Elinor Wyllys” are taken from this famous poem}
”What in the world are you going to do with it?” said his brother, with increasing surprise.
”I wanted a volume of poetry.”
”You--Jem Hubbard! Why, I thought Yankee-Doodle was the only poetry you cared for!”
”I don't care for it, but she does.”
”She!--What SHE?” asked Uncle Josie, with lively curiosity, but very little tact, it would seem.
<script>