Part 11 (2/2)
”Oh, he's a comfort now, in a sort of a way. He's stiddy enough; but laws! he's too lazy to be anything else.”
”He'll wake up yet, auntie, see if he doesn't. There's a twinkle in his eyes that shows he's n.o.body's fool.”
”Oh, I never supposed he was quite as bad's that; but he haint found his niche yet; when he does I s'pose he'll fit into it as tight as a pertater does its skin.”
In much shorter time than Marion had expected, judging from what she had seen of Jabe's activity, the jingle of bells was heard, and directly after, the musical voice of Mrs. Dobbs' young hopeful called out:--
”I'm ready if you be!”
Aunt Bettie opened the door, her face positively radiant with smiles and the pleasure she felt at being able to give Marion a ride.
As Marion's eyes beheld the equipage that stood ready for her use, it must be confessed that her first sensation was anything but agreeable.
In common with most girls of her age, and I might say with girls considerably older than herself, she had a great admiration for handsome horses, elegant carriages, and a driver in keeping with the rest of the establishment.
Certainly no one could say, however, that her driver was not perfectly in keeping with the establishment of which he evidently felt extremely proud; for he sat on the front seat, holding the reins in both hands, as if poor Shadrack was a four-in-hand team, or at least a tandem with a very refractory leader.
The sleigh itself was of such peculiar structure, that it would have been almost impossible to have decided at what ancient period it must have been made. In shape, it most resembled that elegant vehicle commonly known as a ”pung,” excepting that it boasted of two seats, and a back that nearly reached the top of Marion's head. Its color was a beautiful pea-green, ornamented with various scrolls and devices in bright yellow, which might have been a combination of the paternal and maternal crests of Jabe's ancestors, but looked wonderfully like squash-vines.
Around old Shadrack's neck was hung a string of iron bells about the size of small cannon-b.a.l.l.s, which jingled most melodiously every time he moved. But Marion's good sense would not allow her to yield to any feeling of mortification which she might feel at the idea of appearing at school in such a turn-out. She only thought of Aunt Bettie's kindness in ordering out her old horse on such an unprecedented occasion; and thanking her warmly and sincerely for her thoughtfulness, she stepped into the sleigh and was driven off by Jabe, who flourished the whip over Shadrack's ears, quite regardless of his mother's warning, ”not to let the critter trot fast, 'cause 'twas heavy haulin'; the snow was so soggy.”
For some time they jogged along, the silence only broken by the monotonous jingle of the bells. It had stopped snowing, and the sky was quite bright in the west, making it much lighter than it was earlier in the afternoon; touching up the trees with a rosy light, and casting a soft glow on the fields, as they pa.s.sed along.
Marion forgot everything else in the pleasure of watching the fading light, and was quite oblivious to the existence of Jabe, until she was roused from her silent observations by a mild ”ger-lang!” which reminded her that it certainly was her duty to make herself agreeable to her escort.
She hardly knew what to say to him, but she ventured to remark ”that the horse did not look as if he was worked very hard.”
”Worked hard!” exclaimed Jabe. ”Lord, he don't know what work is! I just wish I had as easy a time as Shadrack.”
”What in the world did you name him Shadrack for?” exclaimed Marion.
”Me!” replied Jabe, turning round slowly and looking at Marion out of the corner of his eye, ”'twant none o' my doin's, 'twas father's; he allus liked something different from anybody else, and that time I think he hit it.”
”Yes, I think he did,” replied Marion, smiling in spite of herself; then in a soberer tone she asked, ”Do you remember your father, Jabe?”
”No, he died 'fore I was two years old.”
”Don't you wish he could have lived?”
”Well now, that depends on circ.u.mstances,” replied Jabe in a deliberating tone; ”if he was such a fellow for work as the marm, I can't say as I _should_ be very particular 'bout havin' him round.”
”Why, Jabe Dobbs!” exclaimed Marion, striving to conceal her laughter, ”aren't you ashamed of yourself? I dare say it would be better for you, if your mother made you work a great deal harder than she does.”
”O Lord! Miss Marion!” cried Jabe, in the most horrified tone, but with a twinkle in his eyes which Marion fully appreciated; ”if she did I couldn't live nohow. You see, work and I don't hitch hosses; we weren't meant to go 'longside the same pole; and if one of us has got to stan'
still, I think it might's well be me, and let _work_ go.”
At this Marion laughed outright, but not a muscle of his face did Jabe move, and if it had not been for that sly twinkle in his eye when he lifted it to Marion's face one would have thought he was solving some weighty problem.
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