Part 37 (1/2)
”All creation!” shrieked the wo old man; ”we don't want a noon-mark thar, cl'ar away from the jamb, ye fool! We want it whur the shadder o' the jamb 'll hit it plumb at noon”
The old man looked up from his position on ”all-fours,” and parried her attack with his lifted hand
”Ye mout wait a ster's both fools I had a lesson that larnt me onct that he knows better 'n I dehat he's about; an' I 'lowed, this tio by faith, an' make the marks 'thout no _re_marks o' my own”
”The line will coett,” Jack assured her, hiding a laugh behind his coot the old man to mark two points on his north-and-south line, one at the threshold and the other a little beyond, Jack put his rule to the with a jealous scowl, not seeing that her 'in the jamb,”--after all
Then, by a simple operation, which even she understood, Jack surprised her
He first measured the distance of his line from the jamb Then he set off two points, on the sa on the floor Then through these points he drew a second line, parallel to the first, and touching the corner of the jamb, by which the noon shadoas to be cast Into this new line Jack sank his noon-mark with a knife
”There,” said he, ”is a true noon- as your house does,”--a prediction which, by a very astonishi+ng occurrence, was to be proved false that very afternoon
”I reckon the woman is satisfied,” said the old man; ”anyhow, I be; an'
nohat's the tax for this yer little scratch on the floor?”
”Not anything, Mr Wiggett”
”Hey? ye make noon-marks for folks 'thout pay?”
”That depends So, I'm hailed at the door of a house, and asked for a noon-mark I never refuse it Then, if convenient, I taketo dinner or supper But I never accept money”
”Sartin!” cried the old ett was forty years younger than her husband), ”fly round,--it up a supper as suddent as ye kin, an' ax our friend yer Whur's that Sal?”
Mrs Wiggett, who had appeared all pride and sunny s it was not to be paid for), fell suddenly into a storht and left
Jack hastened to relieve her ; that he had an engage supper with her and her interesting faain The oldhis coy, drove back up the valley road
Vinnie had told his for their aqueduct; and hearing the sound of an axe on his way back, Jack tied Snowfoot to a sapling by the road, and went up into the woods to find theone several rods
”Didn't I tell you to watch? Well, I believe I didn't Never mind; Snowfoot is hitched”
He found Rufe and Wad cutting trees with great industry, having deter to the house without delay
”We've taken the far us do the fall ploughing while we get out our logs He and Link are at it with the oxen, over beyond the house, now”
”And where's that precious cousin of yours?”
”I believe he has gone to the house to see if supper is about ready,”
said Rufe ”He's smart to work, when he does take hold, but his interest doesn't hold out, and the first we know, he is off”
Jack stopped and talked with the boys about their water-works for about half an hour Then Rad ca, and announced that supper was ready, greeting Jack with a jeering laugh