Part 16 (2/2)
The next day, finding out at what hour the train in which Jemima was coming would arrive, she walked to the village, made arrangements with a man who was in the habit of doing errands for Miss Stiefbach, to have a comfortable covered wagon ready to take Jemima and her trunk to the farm, and then went to the station to await the arrival of the cars. As she sat waiting, the station-master came into the room, and planting himself in front of her, with both hands in his pockets, and chewing a toothpick suddenly accosted her with:--
”Goin' deown?”
”Going where?” asked Marion, not overpleased at his advances.
”Deown--deown to Boston;” jerking his thumb over his shoulder, as if that city was situated in the room directly behind him.
”No, sir.”
”No? 'spectin' someun p'raps.”
Marion made no reply.
”S'pose you're one o' them gals up t'the schule?”
Marion still observed a dignified silence.
”Spectin' one o' the gals?” queried the man, who, being a true Yankee, was not at all abashed by the coldness with which his questions, or rather comments, were received.
”No, sir,” replied Marion.
”You ben't?--_not_ one o' the gals; you're marm, p'raps?”
”No, sir.”
”Did you say as how you b'longed up t'the schule?”
”No, I did not say so,” replied Marion, too irritated to be amused at his persistency.
”Oh, you didn't; wall, I didn't know but p'raps you did, an' ef so, I hed somethin' to tell yer, that's all;” and whistling a tune he was about to walk off, when Marion exclaimed:--
”I didn't say whether I belonged to the school or not, because you didn't ask me.”
”Didn't I jest say I s'posed you was one o' them gals up t'the schule?”
demanded the man, still chewing his toothpick, and looking at her as if his last remark was a poser.
”So you did,” replied Marion; ”you stated the fact, and as I didn't say anything took it for granted I was one of the scholars. When you ask a direct question perhaps I'll answer it.”
”Aint you a smart un?” exclaimed the man. ”Wall now, that's what I call right deown smart; jest answer to the pint, an' then yer don't git cornered;” and he nodded his head at her in real admiration. ”Wall, I s'pose I must put it pretty sharp ef I expect to git an answer. Neow,”
taking his hat off and rubbing his hands through his hair as if to collect his ideas, ”be you one o' them gals as goes t'the schule jest abeout tew miles from here?”
”Yes, I am,” replied Marion, who, now that she saw the man had some motive besides idle curiosity, descended from her loftiness.
”Wall, I've got a box in here that came deown in the express train, an'
I didn't kneow but what you'd come to see 'bout it. It's fur one o' them gals, an' 's I haint bin here long I haint much used to the business, an' I didn't know heow to git it up there.”
”Who is it for?” asked Marion.
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