AT NANCY'S HOME.
Lyman stood gazing after them as they drove away. The girl waved her
hand at him, and then removing her glove, she waved it again. He saw
the mother turn to her as if with a word of caution. The road was
crooked, and a clump of bushes, a leafy bulge, soon hid them from
view. Lyman walked slowly and not light of heart, up the hillside to
the tree beneath which he had seen Warren and his new-found friends.
There they were, sitting on the ground, eating.
"You are just in time for a snack," old man Pitt cried, waving the leg
of a chicken.
"And here is some pie that Miss Nancy baked with her own hands," said
Warren, moving closer to the girl to make room for his friend. "I have
been telling Mr. Pitt about your funny marriage."
"Yes," Pitt spoke up, "and I was tellin' of him that if I was in your
place and wanted her, now that I had the law on my side, I'd have her
or a fight or a foot race, one or tuther, it wouldn't make much
difference which. Of course I mean if I found out after the joke was
all over that I wanted her, for I tell you--have a piece of this light
corn bread--I tell you that it is a mighty serious thing when a man
wants a woman and wants her bad. Here's some pickles--they ain't good,
but they'll do at a shake-down. But this here ham's prime. Serious
thing, sir, when a man wants a woman and wants her right bad. There's
a case in our neighborhood of a young feller goin' crazy after a woman
he wanted. It ain't but once in a while, you know, that a feller finds
the woman set up to suit him, and when he do find her, why he ought to
sorter spit on his hands--figurative like," he made haste to add,
catching the reproving eye of his daughter. "Spit on his hands
figurative like and give it out cold that he is there to stay till the
cows come home. And that reminds me that this here butter ain't of the
best. The cow eat a lot of beet tops and it didn't help her butter
none, I contend, still some folks wouldn't notice it. I hear 'em say,
Mr. Whut's-your-name, that you come from away up yander whar rocks is
so plenty on the farms that in a hoss trade it would be big boot if a
feller was to throw in a hankerchuf full of dirt. I don't blame you
for comin' away from thar."
"It's pretty rocky up there," said Lyman. "One of our
humorists--Doesticks," he added, nodding to Warren, "said that we had
to slice our potatoes and slip them down edgeways between the rocks."
The old man sprawled himself on the ground and laughed. "Well, if they
was to go out a shootin' at liars wheat straw would leak through that
feller's hide. How are you gittin' along over thar, Mr. Warren?" he
inquired, sitting up and again devoting himself to the chicken.
"First rate, don't know when I've eaten as much."
"Oh, you haven't eat a thing," Miss Nancy protested, looking at him in
great surprise. "You'd soon die at this rate."
"You are right, but not of starvation. I suppose they are feeding the
preacher," he said, looking round. "Yes, they've got him up there.
Look the women are bringing him things from all directions. Lyman,
your people didn't wait to congratulate him. I think it hurt him, too,
for I saw his countenance fall. You must have said something to hurry
the old lady off."
"No, on the contrary I rather urged her to stay."
"Yes, and that's what sent her off."
"But what's to be the outcome of the affair?" the old man asked. "Of
course you wouldn't want to tie her up so she couldn't marry anybody
else, though I honor your pluck in not lettin' 'em force you into
signin' the paper. McElwin is a mighty over-bearin' sort of a man. I
worked a piece of land year before last over on the creek near a field
that belonged to him, and sir, the hired feller that delved and
swetted thar 'peered like he thought it was a great privilege to drag
himself over the ground that belonged to McElwin. He p'inted him out
one day as he driv along in a buggy and when my eyes didn't pop out of
my head he was might'ly 'stonished. Yes, sir, they think the Lord was
proud of the job when that man was put on earth. Well, I believe they
are gettin' ready to go back into the house, and if you folks want to
go, don't let me hold you."
"Ain't you goin' to hear him, pap?" the girl asked, getting up and
brushing the twigs from her skirt.
"Wall, I don't believe I will jest at the present writin'," he
drawled. "He's a good old feller and all that sort of thing, and I
reckon he do love the Lord, but he nipped me in a hoss swop about
twenty-odd year ago, and whenever I hear him preach I can't git it out
of my head that he's trying to nip me agin."
"Why, pap, that was long before he joined the church."
"Yes, but I can't help from holdin' that a man that will nip you in a
hoss swop one time will do it agin if he gets the chance."
"Well," she said, "you would have nipped him if you could."
"Yes, that mout be, but I wouldn't have come round preachin' to him
afterwards. Go on in, you young folks, and I'll waller around here a
while and then go down and see how my hosses air gettin' along."
"And I will stay with you," said Lyman. The romance had gone out of
the old house, for him, but not for Warren and Nancy. Warren walked to
the church with her, and she pleaded with him to let her go up to the
door alone.
"Why should we care what they think?" he said.
"Oh, I care a good deal. They would talk about me and laugh at me, and
besides you ain't no kin to me. It's only kin folks that set
together."
"They don't know whether I'm any kin to you or not."
"Yes, they do. They know that I haven't any young men kin folks round
here but cousin Jerry."
"Who the deuce is he? Hold on a moment. Tell me about that fellow
Jerry."
"Oh, there ain't nothin' to tell except he's my cousin. If you let me
go in alone I'll tell you all about him when I come out."
He suffered her to go in alone, but he sat as close to her as he
could, on a bench just opposite, and it was so evident that he wanted
to be nearer that a hillside wag remarked to a friend; "See that young
feller a leanin' in toward her like a young steer with a sore neck."
The remark was passed from one to another and a titter went round the
room. Warren saw her blush and realizing that he was the cause of her
embarrassment, he leaned back, and the wag remarked: "Other side of
his neck's sore now--he's leanin' tuther way."
Lyman and the old man walked about the grounds. Pitt suggested going
to the spring, but Lyman drew back from the idea as if the place were
desolate now. They went down the road to a mossy place where the
ironwood trees leaned out over a stream. They looked at the sun-fish
flashing their golden sides in the light; they sat down to smoke a
pipe, the rising voice of the preacher seeming to sift in the leaves
above them. The sun was shining aslant when they got up and a shadow
lay upon the pool.
"He must be on the home-stretch," said the old man, nodding toward the
house. "I'll go over and hitch up the horses."
"I have a similar task to perform," Lyman replied. "I'll see you again
before I start home."
"All right, and I am much obleeged for your company."
The sermon was over before the horses were harnessed. Warren came
running to Lyman. "You ride with the old man and let me take the girl
in the spring wagon," said he.
"What; we may not go in the same direction."
"Of course we do. We are going home with them. It's all right. I've
put the old man down for a year's subscription."
"And you want to go over there to board it out. Is that it?"
"I hadn't thought of that. But I could do it."
"Does he know that he's a subscriber?"
"Not yet, but I can tell him. Miss Nancy wants us to go."
"Did she say so?"
"Well, now what would be the use of saying so? She could say it as
easily as not. And I guess she would have said it if she had thought
to. But I know she wants us to go. Come, now, won't you go just to
oblige me? Remember, I didn't kick very hard when you killed all my
best pieces of news. Let me have a fling now, won't you? You've been
having all the fun--marriage and White Caps. Won't you go just to
oblige me?"
"Yes, I'll ride with the old man or I'll ride on a rail when you put
it that way."
"All right. Here she comes now, and the old man's up there waiting for
you."
During the drive, the old fellow commented upon the historical places
along the road. He pointed out the spot where he had killed the last
diamondback rattlesnake seen in that neighborhood; he directed Lyman's
attention to a barn wherein five negroes had been hanged for rising
against the whites in 1854; he pointed at a charred stump and told the
story of a fanatic who had tied himself there and burned himself on
account of his religion. They came at last to a large log house, the
Pitt homestead, and had unharnessed the horses before Warren and Nancy
came within sight. A tall woman, followed by a score of children of
all sizes, came out to meet them.
"They ain't all mine," said the old man. "Them as looks about fryin'
size belongs to the folks over the creek. Mother, this here is a
friend of ourn from away up yonder whar they have to slice the
potatoes and slip 'em down between the rocks, and I want to tell you
that him and me fits one another like a hand and glove."
"I am mighty glad to meet you," said the woman, wiping her hands on
her apron. "Come right in and excuse the looks of everything and make
yourself at home. But, pap, where's Nancy?"
"Oh, she's comin' along in a carry-all with the town man that runs
the paper. She's all right--she can take care of herself anywhere."
They went into the house, the children scattering and peeping from
corners and from behind the althea bushes in the yard. Warren and
Nancy soon came in laughing. The girl threw her hat on the bed, tucked
up her skirts and went out to the kitchen to help her mother, and the
old man excused himself on the grounds that he must go out to feed the
stock.
"Warren, gallantry is all right, but this is cruel," said Lyman. "We
are imposing on this family. Look how those women have to work, and
they will strain every nerve to get us something to eat."
"Of course they will, and they like it. Do you know that? They do. You
couldn't please them more than by eating with them, and I'm always
willing to put myself out to please folks. Say, we'll stay here
tonight and go in tomorrow."
"I am not going to stay. Doesn't it strike you that you are a trifle
too brash, as they say around here? Don't you think so?"
"Not a bit of it. I want to stay till tomorrow to see whether I want
to come back again or not. I want to find out whether I am in love
with her or not. I think I am, but still I don't know, and my rule is
that a man ought to know where he stands before he walks. We were
passing under a tree and she reached up and pulled at a limb and her
loose sleeve fell down and I saw her arm. That almost settled it. But
I think I'll know definitely in the morning."
"Warren, I'm going back to town tonight."
"What, over that dark road? Don't you know we passed a good many
dangerous places coming? Stay till tomorrow."
"No, I'll walk back and leave the wagon for you."
"That would be an outrage. If you go back, drive."
"No, to tell you the truth I would rather walk. I want to think."
"Then you'd rather go alone, anyway, wouldn't you? All right, and
probably I can get her to come to town with me tomorrow. They've got
to send in to buy things sometimes, I should think. By the by, I've
got a lot of seeds sent by a congressman, and I'll tell the old man he
can have them. Nothing catches one of these old fellows like seeds.
He'll send her in after them tomorrow morning, and then I can find out
how I stand."
"With her?"
"No, find out how I stand with myself--see whether I love her or not.
Have you found out yet--in your case? Tell me, I won't say anything
about it."
"Yes, I have found out."
"You needn't say--I guess I know." Warren reached over and took Lyman
by the hand. "We save time and trouble when we put a man in a position
so that he needn't say."
"Yes," said Lyman, "the greatest justice you can confer on a man, at
times, is to permit him to be silent."
Nancy came hastily into the room and from the broad mantel-piece took
down two beflowered tea-cups, kept there as ornaments. She smiled at
Warren and brushed out with a mischievous toss of her comely head.
"We not only put them to extra trouble, but compel them to take down
their decorations," Lyman remarked.
"But can't you see how she likes it?" Warren spoke up. "Probably it
has been six months since they have had a chance to use those cups. We
are doing them a favor, I tell you." He shook his head and sighed. "If
she comes in here again and looks at me that way I'll know where I
stand. Oh, I'm not slow, but I want to be certain."
They heard the old man talking in the kitchen, and then came his heavy
tread on the loose and flapping boards of the passage-way. The door
was cut so low that he had to duck his head. He came in with a stoop,
but straightening himself in the majesty of conscious hospitality, he
bowed and said: "Gentlemen, you will please walk out to supper."
Lyman began to offer an apology for putting the household to so much
trouble. The old man bowed again and said: "We didn't bring no trouble
home with us from church, but ruther a pleasure, sir."