ALMOST A PROPOSAL.
In the basement story of Piney Cove, the absence of Mrs. Mellen was a
continued source of curiosity. But for once, that part of the household
had little but conjecture to go upon; so after a time, curiosity died
out and the selfish element rose uppermost, especially with the mulatto,
Dolf, who had not yet found out the sum total of Clorinda's fortune.
The night after Mrs. Mellen's disappearance, there had been an anxious
meeting in the neighborhood, at which Elder Spotts had held forth with
peculiar eloquence, and Clorinda had been wonderfully loud in her
responses, a state of things which filled Dolf with serious perplexity;
in fact, it had been a very anxious meeting to him. After their return
home, that young gentleman lingered in the basement, looking so
miserable that Clorinda asked the cause.
"Yer knows," said Dolf, prolonging the situation as much as possible, in
the hope that some bright thought would strike him by which the
conversation might be led round to the subject uppermost in his worldly
mind; "yer knows very well."
"Why, yer's making me out jis' a witch."
"No, Miss Clorindy, no; don't say dem keerless tings--don't! I ain't a
makin' you nothin', only de most charmin' and de most cruel of yer
sect."
If Clo did not blush it was only because nature had deprived her of the
dangerous privilege, but she fell into a state of sweet confusion that
was beautiful to behold.
"Dar ye go agin," said she; "now quit a callin' me witches and sich, or
else say why?"
"Didn't I see you dis berry even'?" said Dolf.
"In course ye did; we was to Mrs. Hopkins's when de meeting was ober."
"And wasn't Elder Spotts dar, too?"
"In course he was; yer knows it well enough."
"I knows it too well," said Dolf. "Dar's whar de coquettations comes in;
dat's jis' de subjec' I'm 'proachin' yer wid."
"Me!" cried Clo, in delightful innocence. "Laws, I didn't know yer even
looked at me; I tought ye was fascinated wid dat Vic."
"I'se neber too busy to reserve you, Miss Clorindy," said Dolf;
"wherever I may be, whatever my ockipation, I'se eyes fur you. And I
seed you; I seed de elder a bending over ye, a whisperin' in yer ear."
"Oh, git out!" cried Clo. "He didn't do no sich."
"Oh, yes, he did, Miss Clorindy; dese eyes seen it."
"Wal, he was a axin' me if I was gwine to come to meetin' more reg'lar
dan I had ob late."
"It took him a great while to ax," said Dolf, in a reproachful voice.
Clo laughed a little chuckling laugh.
"He's a bery pleasant man, de elder," said she; "bery pleasant."
"Dey say he wants a wife," observed Dolf.
"Do dey! Mebby he do; anyway he hain't told me dat."
"But he will, Clorindy, he will!"
"Tain't no ways likely; don' 'spec I shall knows much bout it!"
"Oh, yes, yer will," insisted Dolf.
He was serious, and Clo began to grow dizzy at the thought of so many
conquests crowding upon her at once.
"I jis' b'lieve he's a sarpint in disguise," said Dolf, with great
energy; "one ob de wust kind of old he ones."
"Laws, Mr. Dolf, don't say sich things; he's a shinin' light in de
sanctumary, I'se certain."
"It's a light I'd like to squinch," cried Dolf, "and if he pokes himself
into my moonshine I'll do it."
Clo gave a shrill scream, and caught his arm, as if she feared that he
was intending to rush forth in search of the elder, and put his menace
into instant execution.
"Don't kick up a muss wid him," she pleaded: "why should yer?"
"It 'pends on yer, Miss Clorindy, yer know; de 'couragement yer've ben a
givin' him is 'nuff to drive yer admirers out o' der senses."
"Oh, dear me, I neber heerd sich audacious nonsense!" said Clo.
"It's true," answered Dolf, "an' yer knows it. But ye're received in dat
man, Miss Clorindy, yer is! He's got both eyes fixed on de glitterin'
dross. I've heerd him talk 'bout de fortin yer had, an' how it wud set a
pusson up, an' what good he might do wid it 'mong de heathen."
Clo gave another scream, but this time it was a cry of indignation and
wrath.
"Spend my money 'mong de heathen!" she cried. "I'd like to see him do
it! comes 'bout me I'll pull his old wool fur him, I will."
Dolf smiled at the success of his falsehood, and made ready to clench
the nail after driving it in.
"Dat's what he tinks anyhow. Why, Miss Clorindy, he was a tryin' ter
find out jist how much yer was wuth."
"'Taint nobody's business but my own," cried Clo, angrily, "folks
needn't be a pumpin' me; 'taint no use."
"Jis' what I've allers said," remarked Dolf, with great earnestness;
"sich secrets, says I, is Miss Clorindy's own."
"Yes, dey be," said Clo, holding on to the sides of her stool as tightly
as if it had been the box which contained her treasures.
"I've said sometimes," continued Dolf, "dat if de day shud eber come
when dat parathon ob her sex made up her mind ter gib her loved hand to
some true bussom, she'd probably whisper musical in his ear de secret
she has kept from all de wuld."
Clo was divided between the tenderness awakened by these words and the
vigilance with which she always guarded the outposts leading to her
cherished secret.
"Ain't dat sense, Miss Clorindy?" demanded Dolf, getting impatient.
"I hain't said it warn't," she replied.
"Dis wuld is full ob mercenary men," Dolf went on, "searchin' fur de
filty lucre; I'se glad I neber was one ob dem. I allers has 'spised de
dross; gib me lobe, I says, and peace wid de fair one ob my choice, and
I asks no more."
Clo played with her apron string again, and looked modestly down.
But Dolf did not know exactly what to say next without committing
himself more deeply than he desired; indeed, he had been led on now
considerably farther than he could wish, but that was unavoidable.
"Not but what fortins is desirous," he said, "'cause in dis wuld people
must lib."
Clo assented gently to that self-evident proposition.
"Do yer know what I'se often tought, Miss Clorindy," said Dolf, starting
on a new tack.
"'Spect I don't," said Clo.
"I'se wished many a time, more lately'n I used ter, dat I could take
some fair cretur I lobed ter my heart, and dat 'tween us we had money
'nuff ter start a restauration or sometin' ob dat sort."
Clo sniffed a little.
"In dem places de wurk all comes on de woman," said she.
Dolf was quite aware of that fact; it was the one thing which made him
contemplate the idea with favor.
"Oh, not at all," he said, "de cookin's a trifle; tink ob de 'counts; my
head's good at figures."
"Dey kind o' puzzles me," Clo confided to him softly.
"Tain't 'spected in the fair sect," said Dolf; "dey nebber ort to
trouble 'emselves 'bout sich matters."
Then Dolf sighed.
"Yer wonders what's de matter," he said; "I was jis lamentin' dat I
hadn't been able to save as much as I could wish, so dat I could realise
sich a dream."
"Laws," cried Clo, so agitated and confused she was about to speak the
words he so longed to hear; "how much wud it take? Does yer tink dat if
a woman had--"
"I say Clo, where be yer?"
The interruption was a cruel one to both the darkeys, though from
different reasons; the voice was Victoria's.
"Clo!" she called again, in considerable wrath, "jis' you answer now."
Clo sprang up in high indignation. Dolf mounted a couple of steps and
appeared to be diligently searching for something in a closet.
Victoria opened the kitchen door, looked out and tossed her head angrily
when she saw the pair.
"I s'pose I might a split my throat callin', and yer wouldn't a
answered," she cried.
"I'se 'bout my business," said Clo, grimly, "jis' mind yours."
"I s'pose Mr. Dolf am 'bout his business too," retorted Vic.
Dolf turned around from the closet and asked sweetly, "Did you 'dress
me, Miss Vic?"
"No, I didn't, and don't mean ter. But Miss Elsie's woke up, and wants
some jelly and a bird; where am dey, Clo?"
"Look whar dey be and ye'll find 'em," replied Clo.
"Ef they hain't gone down dat ol' preacher's throat it's lucky," cried
Vic, slamming the door after her, thus defeating poor Dolf in the very
moment of success.