Part 18 (1/2)

”My stars! you forgot to try!”

It was late at night when Lazarus Graves and Captain Champion, returning from Pulaski City, where they had been hurrying matters into shape for the prosecution of Leggett, rode down the Susie and p.u.s.s.ie Pike toward Suez. Where the Widewood road forked off into the forest on their left they stopped, having unexpectedly come upon a third rider bound the other way. He seemed quite alone and stood by his horse in deep shade, tightening the girth and readjusting blanket and saddle. Champion laughed and predicted his own fate after death.

”Turn that freckled face o' yo's around here, Johnnie March; we ain't Garnet and Pettigrew, an' th' ain't nothin' the matteh with that saddle.”

”Howdy, Cap'm,” said John, as if too busy to look up.

”Howdy yo'seff! What new devilment you up to now? None? Oh, then we didn't see n.o.body slide off fum behine that saddle an' slip into the bushes. Who was it, John? Was it Johanna, so-called?”

”No, it was Leggett,” said John.

”Oh, I reckon!” laughed the Captain.

”Come on,” grumbled Graves, and they left him.

XXI.

MR. LEGGETT'S CHICKEN-PIE POLICY

THE youth whistled his charge out of the brush and moved on, sometimes in the saddle with the mulatto mounted behind, sometimes, where the way was steep, walking beside the tired horse. When both rode he had to bear a continual stream of tobacco-scented whisperings poured into his ear.

”Mr. March, that crowd wouldn't do me this a-way if they knowed the patri'tisms I feels to 'em. You see, it's they financialities incur the late rise in Clairwateh County scrip. Ya.s.s, seh; which I catch the fo'cas' o' they intentions in time to be infested in a good pa.s.sle of it myseff.”

”So that now your school funds are all straight again?”

”Ezac'ly! all straight an' comp'ehensive. An' what sh.e.l.l we say then?

Sh.e.l.l we commit sin that grace may aboun'? Supposin' I has been too trancadillious; I say jis' _supposin'_ I may have evince a rather too wifely pretendencies; what does they care fo' that? No, seh, all they wants is to git shet o' me.”

”And do you think they're wrong?”

”Mr. March, I does! Tha.s.s right where they misses it. Why, they _needs_ me, seh! I got a new policy, Mr. March. I 'llowed to espound it las'

week on the flo' of the house, same day the guvneh veto that bill we pa.s.s; ya.s.s, seh. The guvneh's too much like Gyarnit; he's faw the whole hawg or none. Tha.s.s not my way; my visions is mo' perspectral an' mo'

clairer. Seh? Wha'd you say?”

”Oh, nothing,” laughed John. ”Only a shudder of disgust.”

”Ya.s.s, seh. Well, it is disgusting ev'm to me. You see, I discerns all these here New Dixie projeckin'. I behole how they all a-makin' they sun'ry chicken-pies, which notinstanin' they all diff'ent, yit they all alike, faw they all turnovers! Ya.s.s, seh, they all spreads hafe acrost the dish an' then tu'n back. I has been ent.i.tle Slick an' Slippery Leggett--an' yit what has I always espress myseff? Gen'le_men_, they must be sufficiend plenty o' chicken-pie to go round. An', Mr. March, if she don't _be_ round, she won't _go_ round. 'Tis true the scripter say, To them what hath sh.e.l.l be givened, an' to them what hath not sh.e.l.l be takened away that which seem like they hath; but the scripter's one thing an' chicken-pie's anotheh.”

”Listen,” whispered John, stopping the horse; and when Mr. Leggett would have begun again--”Oh, do shut your everlasting----”

”P-he-he-he-he!” t.i.ttered the mulatto under his breath. John started again and Leggett resumed.

”Whew! I'm that thusty! Ain't you got no sawt o' pain-killeh about yo'

clo'es? Aw! Mr. March, mos' sholy you is got some. No gen'leman ain't goin' to be out this time o' night 'ithout some sawt o'

corrective--Lawd! I wisht you had! Cayn't we stop som'er's an' git some?

Lawd! I wisht we could! I'm jest a-honin' faw some sawt o' wetness.