Part 3 (2/2)
(Mary Sands was nearer forty than thirty, but she will be young at seventy.) The brown horse shook his head slightly as Calvin flicked the whip past his ear.
”Well, there you're mistaken!” said Calvin. ”There's where you show your ignorance, hossy. I tell you that young woman is A 1 and clipper built if ever I see such. Yes, sir! s.h.i.+p-shape and Bristol fas.h.i.+on, live-oak frame, and copper fastenin's, is what I call Miss Hands, and a singular name she's got. Most prob'ly she'll be changin' it to Sill one of these days, and one of them two lobsters will be a darned lucky feller. I wonder which she'll take. I wonder why in Tunkett she should want either one of 'em. I wonder--h.e.l.lo!”
[Ill.u.s.tration: ”CALVIN REGARDED THEM BENEVOLENTLY.”]
He checked the brown horse. A small boy was standing on a gate-post and shouting vigorously.
”What say, sonny?” said Calvin.
”Be you the candy man?” cried the child.
”That's what! be you the candy boy? lozenges, tutti-frutti and pepsin chewin' gum, chocolate creams, stick candy--what'll you have, young feller?”
”I want a stick of checkerberry!” said the boy.
”So do I!” cried a little girl in a pink gingham frock, who had run out from the house and climbed on the other gate-post. She was a pretty curly little creature, and the boy was an engaging compound of flaxen hair, freckles and snub nose. Calvin regarded them benevolently, and pulled out a drawer under the seat of the wagon.
”Here you are!” he said, taking out a gla.s.s jar full of enchanting red and white sticks.
”Best checkerberry in the State of Maine; cent apiece!” and he held out two sticks.
The children's eyes grew big and tragic. ”We ain't got any money!” said the boy, sadly.
”Not _any_ money!” echoed the little girl.
”Then what in time did you ask for it for?” asked Calvin rather irritably.
”I didn't!” said the boy. ”I just said I wanted it.”
Calvin looked from him to the girl, and then at the candy, helplessly.
”Well, look here!” he said. ”Say! where do hossy and me come in? We've got to get our livin', you see.”
”Could you get much living out of two sticks?” asked the little girl.
Calvin looked again at the round wistful eyes.
”This ain't no kind of way to do business!” he remonstrated. ”You've got to airn it some way, you know. Tell you what! Let me see which can holler loudest, and I'll give you a stick apiece.”
The babes closed their eyes, threw back their heads, and bellowed to the skies.
”That's first rate!” said Calvin. ”Good lung power there, young uns! go it again!”
The children roared like infant bulls of Bashan. At this moment the door of the house flew open and a woman appeared wild-eyed.
”What's the matter?” she cried. ”Susy, be you hurt? Eben, has something bit you?”
”Don't you be scairt, Marm!” said Calvin affably. ”They was just showin'
off their lung power, and they've got a first rate article of it.”
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