CONCERNING PEPPERMINTS
Mary Sands stood in the doorway, leaning on her broom and looking out
over the pleasant autumn country. It was a golden morning, and the world
shone and sparkled in quite a wonderful way.
The green dooryard had its special show of emeralds, set off here and
there by a tuft of dandelion that had escaped the watchful eye of Mr.
Sam. The stone wall of the barnyard was almost hidden by the hollyhocks;
they were a pretty sight, Mary thought; she did admire hollyhocks.
The vast dog, who had been lying on the door-step, rose slowly, shook
himself elaborately, pricked his ears, and looked down the road.
"What is it, Rover?" asked Mary Sands. "Do you feel good this mornin',
same as I do? What you lookin' at? Somebody comin' along the road? So
there is! It can't be Cousin Sam back again; he hasn't been gone but an
hour. Why--can it--it surely is Mr. Parks!"
Involuntarily her hand went up to the smooth ripples of her brown hair;
unconsciously she glanced down at her fresh print dress and blue apron.
"I wish't I'd had me a white apron!" she said. "But there! he'll have to
take me as he finds me. Workin' time ain't perkin' time, as Gran'm'ther
used to say. Good mornin', Mr. Parks! isn't this a pretty day?"
"Good mornin' to you, Miss Hands!" said Calvin Parks as he drove up to
the door. "It is a pretty day, and everything to match, far as I can
see. And the prettiest thing I've seen this mornin' is you," he added,
but not aloud.
"I was lookin' at them hollyhocks," said Mary. "See 'em down by the wall
yonder? Ain't they handsome? Them pink and white ones look to me like
girls, slim young ones all ready to bob a curtsey. I don't know but
you'll think it foolish, but I'm always seein' likenesses between
flowers and folks."
"Be you?" said Calvin. "That's a pretty idee now. I believe women folks
have pretty idees right along; it must be real agreeable. Now when I see
a hollyhock there ain't nothin' to it but hollyhock--except the cheese!"
he added meditatively. "I used to think a sight of hollyhock cheese when
I was a youngster."
"So did I!" cried Mary with her tinkling laugh. "But aren't you comin'
in, Mr. Parks? Do light down! Cousin Sam's gone to market, but Cousin
Sim'll be real pleased to see you. He's been feelin' slim for two or
three days."
"That so?" said Calvin. "Well, I didn't know as I should stop, more'n
just to pass the time o' day, but if he's feelin' slim--" he threw the
reins on the horse's neck and clambered out of the wagon.
"Hossy'll be glad to rest a spell, won't you, hossy?"
"He looks real clever!" said Mary. "I should think he'd be pleasant to
ride behind."
"You try it some day and see!" said Calvin. "He's the cleverest horse on
the ro'd, and the cutest. What do you think he did yesterday? Now I
don't know as you'll believe me when I tell you, but it's a fact. I was
in at the store down at the Corners, havin' some truck with Si Turner,
and there come along a boy as wasn't any more honest than he had to be,
and he thought 'twould be smart to reach in over the wheel and help
himself to candy out of the drawers. Well, mebbe 'twas smart; but hossy
was smarter, for he reached round his head and c'ot him by the seat of
his pants--Jerusalem! if you'll excuse the expression, Miss Hands, how
that feller did holler! Me and Si come hikin' out, thought he was killed
and got the hives besides; when we see what was up, we sot down and
laughed till, honest, we had to lean against one another or we'd rolled
over an' over on the ground. Hossy held on like a good 'un till I told
him to let go, and then he dropped the pants and went to work eatin'
grass as if nothin' had been goin' on at all."
"Did you ever?" cried Mary Sands. "I never knew a hoss could have that
much sense, Mr. Parks. Why, 'twas like a person more than a dumb
critter."
"There's critters and critters!" said Calvin Parks. "Hossy's a prize
package, that's a fact. Want a bite, hossy? tain't dinner time yet, but
a bite won't hurt you."
He took a nose-bag from the wagon and hung it over the brown horse's
head. The horse, who had gone to sleep as soon as he stopped, opened one
eye, blinked at his master, and shut it again.
"Oh, all right!" said Calvin. "Any time; suit yourself! Only I can't wag
your jaws for ye, ye know."
Mary had turned to enter the house, saying something about telling
Cousin he was coming.
"Oh! wait just a minute, Miss Hands!" Calvin called. "I took the
liberty--" he rummaged among his drawers, and finally brought out a
small parcel.
"I dono--most prob'ly it ain't just what you'd like. I couldn't tell
what flavor you'd prefer, and I always think myself that pep'mint is the
wholesomest--"
Amazed and embarrassed at finding himself embarrassed, Calvin paused
awkwardly, holding the box of peppermints in his hand; but when he saw
Mary Sands blushing in the delightful red and brown way she had, and
caught the twinkle in her eye, he was suddenly at ease again.
"You try 'em!" he said simply, and gave her the box.
"Why, Mr. Parks!" cried Mary. "You don't mean to say you brought these
for me? Well, you are more than kind, I must say. Why, they're
deleecious! There's nothing like pep'mint to my taste; now this is
surely a treat. I'm a thousand times obliged to you, Mr. Parks. These
don't taste like boughten candy; there's a real kind of home-made flavor
to 'em."
"That's right!" said Calvin. "That's just it; they are home-made. Them
pep'mints is made by an old gentleman in East Cyrus. I lighted on 'em by
accident, as you might say, and 'twas a good job I did."
"How was that?" Mary inquired civilly.
"Why, I ain't greatly acquainted in these parts, you know, Miss Hands;
been away so much, you understand, and never was one to go much when I
was to home, only amongst the near neighbors. I dono as ever I was in
East Cyrus before. 'Tis a pleasant-lookin' place. Nice street; not many
stores, but what there was was ship-shape and Bristol fashion; folks
personable and well-appearin'; I was pleased with East Cyrus. I druv
along kind o' slow, lookin' for my kind of a place; sure enough, I come
to a little store with candy in the window. Hossy saw it too, and
stopped of his own accord.
"'That so?' says I. 'Friend of yours, hossy?' He nods his head real
sociable, hossy doos, and I was just goin' to ramble down out of that
squirrel-cage, when the door opens kind o' smart, and someone hollers
out, 'I don't want any! You can go right along!'
"'Can!' says I. 'Now that's real accommodatin' of you. Anywheres
special you'd like me to go? That's what I come to inquire about,' I
says.
"He was a little man, kind o' dried up, but yet smart-lookin', and he
_was_ smart. He looks at hossy. 'You can go to Thunder!' he says.
"'First turn to the right, or second to the left?' says I. Then he looks
at me. 'Hello!' he says; 'it ain't you!'
"'No,' I says; 'it ain't. It's my half-uncle's widder from out west,' I
says.
"He kind o' laughed. 'What are you doin' with his hoss, then?' says he.
"'I bought it off'n him,' says I; 'it's my hoss now, and my team. Like
to know how many teeth we've got between us?'
"'Well, all the same I don't want any!' he says; and he starts to go
back into the store.
"'Excuse _me_!' I says, as polite as I knew how. 'Would you have any
objections to namin' over the things you don't want? I didn't know as
I'd offered you anything, but mebbe I done it in my sleep.'
"'Glucose is one thing,' he says. 'Terry alba, coal-tar,
plaster-of-Paris; them's some of the things I don't want. And you're
another. Is that enough?'
"'Not quite I says. 'Go slow, shipmate! If you wanted them things the
wust way in the world you couldn't get 'em off'n me, 'cause I ain't got
'em."
"He grunted. 'Tell that to the monkey!' he says.
"'I am,' I says, 'or the nearest I can see to one.'
"'He always had 'em he says,'and tried to sell 'em to me every time he
come by.'
"'I know!' says I. 'I found 'em in the stock, and I sot 'em on the fire
and seen 'em burn. Gitty up, hossy!' I says. 'We'll go on and see if
there's any place in this village where they keep manners,' I says,
'and we'll send this old gentleman a half a pound to stock up with!' I
says.
"'Hold on!' he says. 'I spoke too quick. Come in and we'll talk.'
"So I went. Had half a mind not to, but 'twan't the sensible half. I
tell you, I had a real pleasant time, Miss Hands. Come to get him
smoothed down and combed out, and he was as pleasant an old gentleman as
ever I see. But he was an old-fashioned candy-maker, you see, and he
didn't like these new-fangled ways any more than what I do. Never had a
pound of glucose on his premises, nor never will; nothin' but pure
sugar. We had a real good time together; and he gave me them pep'mints,
and I'm goin' to have 'em reg'lar every week. He's got a little kitchen
in back there that's a perfect pictur' to look at. I'd like to have you
see it, Miss Hands, honest I would."
At this moment a loud and peevish crow was heard from the house.
"There!" said Mary Sands. "We must be goin' in, Mr. Parks. Cousin's
gettin' impatient, I expect."
They found Mr. Sim fairly spluttering with impatience.
"What--what--what--" he began as they entered; "I didn't know as you was
ever comin', Cousin. I'd oughter have had my med'cine--that you,
Cal?--half an hour ago; set down, won't you? half a glass, with sugar
and hot water! pretty well, be ye? I'm most choked to death, settin'
here waitin'."
"There, Cousin!" said Mary Sands in her mellow, soothing voice. "I'll
get you the medicine right away; though if the truth was told I expect
you'd be better off without it. I don't hold with all this dosin', do
you, Mr. Parks?"
"I do not!" said Calvin Parks. "Looks to me as if all the doses he'd
been takin' for a week was havin' it out inside him, and no two
agreein'. Say, Sim! s'pose you let Miss Hands throw away all that stuff,
and take a pep'mint instead."