Part 3 (1/2)
Times are not what they were when your father was alive. 'Wealth acc.u.mulates and men decay.' The country press is being strangled, forced to the wall by the brute wealth of the city. The march of events----”
”Yes, Uncle.”
He stopped in the midst of his flight and repeated:
”We must economize--_and I've begun_!”
He said it with great dramatic force, but the effect on Anthy was not what an unprejudiced observer might have expected. I thought she looked a bit alarmed.
The Captain cleared his throat, and said with impressive deliberation:
”I've given up smoking cigars!”
Anthy's laugh was clear and strong.
”You have!” she exclaimed.
”And from now on,” said the Captain, still very serious, ”I shall smoke a pipe.”
With that he took notice for the first time of the package in his hand.
It contained a case, which he opened slowly.
”Isn't it a beauty?” he said, holding up a new briar pipe.
”Yes,” she replied faintly; ”but, Uncle, how did you get it?”
He cleared his throat.
”One must make a beginning,” he said; ”economy is positively necessary.
I bought it.”
”Uncle, you _didn't_ spend Frank Toby's subscription for a pipe!”
The Captain looked a little offended.
”Anthy, it was a bargain. It was marked down from two dollars.”
Anthy turned partly aside, quite unconscious of either Fergus or me, and such a look of discouragement and distress swept over her face as I cannot describe. But it was only for an instant. The Captain was still holding up the pipe for her admiration. She laid her hand again quickly on his shoulder.
”It _is_ a beauty,” she said.
”I knew you'd like it,” exclaimed the Captain benevolently. ”When I saw it in the window I said, 'Anthy'd like that pipe.' I knew it. So I bought it.”
”But, Uncle--how we _did_ need the money this morning of all mornings!
The insides are here, we must have them----”
”So I say,” said the Captain with great firmness, ”we must economize sharply. And I've begun. Let's all get down now to work. Fergus, I've answered the fellow on the Sterling _Democrat_. I've left nothing of him at all--not a pinfeather.”
With that he took a new pouch of tobacco from his pocket, and began to fill his new pipe. The cat rubbed familiarly against his leg.