Part 19 (1/2)
”All right. Good-day.”
When he was gone the old man resumed his walk, musing: ”Don't want to see nuthin' red on the ground.”
He took out his knife, put his foot on a chair, and began to cut his shoe-strings. As he was cutting the string from the other shoe his wife, peeping round at him, inquired:
”Whut you do that fur?”
”I don't want to die with them on if I kin help it.” And shutting his knife with a snap he resumed his walk up and down the room. ”And I am a fixin' 'em so I kin kick 'em off.”
”For mercy sake, Jasper, don't talk thatter way.”
His sense of humor came back to him. ”Oh, I may not have to kick 'em off. It wouldn't surprise me if somebody else done the kickin'. But it's better to be prepared. The good Book says--”
”Oh, now, the good Book don't say no sich of a thing, and you know it.
What makes you allus want to fetch in the good Book? Don't you know it say, 'Thou shan't kill?' Don't you?”
”Yes, but I ain't found whar it say, 'Thou shall let a feller kill you.'”
”Oh, there ought to be some way a smoothin' of it over.”
”Yes, Margaret, a smoothin' of it over an' a pattin' it down with a shovel.”
”Oh, fur goodness sake, don't talk thatter way. It distresses me so.”
”Why, jest a while ago you was fretted because I didn't treat it serious. Wush you'd sorter draw off in writin' what you want me to do.”
”Don't talk thatter way. I am so anxious, an' 'specially at this time when--”
”When what?”
”When these folks air here--when that young feller is a payin' so much attention to Lou.”
”Don't worry about her, Margaret. If she has to take bitter medicine, she'll do it an' smack her mouth.”
”But, Jasper, he's the son of a United States Jedge.”
”Wall, but thar ain't no objection to that, is there?”
”Oh, how tormentin' a man kin be when he tries.”
”Oh, how tormentin' a woman kin be when she don't try.”
”Did anybody ever hear the like? Jasper, don't you see how much Lou is a thinkin' of him? Air you so blind that you can't see that? An' you know that the app'intment of Peters mout spile it all.”
The old man shrugged. ”Yes, mout spile it all fur Peters. Let me tell you suthin'. I ain't a stairrin' round to see how much one pusson thinks of another, an' I don't know how much she keers fur that young feller, but I do know that she is worthy of any man that ever trod shoe luther.
We give her all the freedom a girl wants, an' that man ain't a livin'
that could turn that freedom into shame. If she falls in love with him, she will love him like a Starbuck--with all her soul. An' if he don't love her, she'll be silent like a Starbuck. One day when we was a goin'
down the creek in canoe you saw a fish come up an' strike at the paddle.