"At the imperious beck and call of nature, Jimmie. My uncle died and inflicted on me money enough to make a pretense of paying my debts, and I"ve made such a stagger that even Mrs. Cranceford has admitted me into the out-lying districts of her good opinion. But that"s got nothing to do with the business in hand. Let"s go back yonder and find out why that negro sits there suckling his gun to sleep."
"But if he suckles it to sleep there"s no harm in it, Uncle Gideon."
"Ah, clod-head, but it may have bad dreams and wake up with a cry. Let"s go back there."
"Are you in earnest?"
"As earnest as a last will and testament."
"Then let me tell you that I"ll do nothing of the sort. You don"t catch me prowling about a man"s house at night, and you wouldn"t think of such a thing if you were strictly sober."
"Jimmie, you never saw me drunk."
"No, but I"ve seen you soberer that you are now."
"An unworthy insinuation, Jimmie. But having great respect for your plodding judgment, I will not go to the negro"s cabin, but will proceed rather to my own shanty. And I want you to come with me. Tom Cranceford and Sallie Pruitt will be there and in the shine of the fire we"ll cut many a scollop. What do you say?"
"Uncle Gideon, don"t you know how strongly opposed Mrs. Cranceford is to Tom"s----"
"Bah, law-abiding calf. They are going to marry anyway, so what"s the difference? Jimmie, the most useless man in the world is the fellow that keeps just within the law. But perhaps it isn"t your law-abiding spirit so much as it is your fear. In blind and stupid obedience there is a certain sort of gallantry, and in trotting to Mrs. Cranceford"s cluck you may be wise."
"It"s not that I"m afraid of offending her," the giant said. "The girl is too good for Tom any day, or for any of us when it comes to that, but the distress of his mother haunts me, and I don"t want that girl"s affection for Tom to haunt me too. I don"t want to see them together if I can help it. One haunt at a time is enough. But I tell you this, if it should come to a question I would decide in favor of the girl."
"Jimmie, you are improving. Yes, I am doing you great good. I found your mind an insipid dish and I have sprinkled it with salt and pepper. You are right. Always decide in favor of the young, for the old have already had their disappointments. Well, I"ll go. Lift your paw. My horse can"t move out from under its weight."
"All right," said the giant, laughing and stepping back. "By the way,"
he added, "tell Tom to be sure and meet me at the landing at two o"clock to-morrow. We are going down to New Orleans."
"What, alone? I ought to go along to take care of you. I could steer you away from all the bad places and by this means you would naturally stumble on the good ones. I"ll see you when you get back."
At home the old man had lighted his fire and was listening to its cheerful crackle when his visitors came, laughing. With a boisterous shout Tom kicked the door open, and when the girl remonstrated with him, he grabbed her and kissed her.
"That"s all right," old Gid cried. "One of these days the penitentiary doors will open for you without being kicked in. Ah, delightful to see you, my dear," he said, bowing to the girl; "refreshing to see you, although you come with a scamp. Sit down over there. I gad, you are a bit of sunshine that has lost its way in the night."
About her head she had wound a scarf of red yarn, and as she stood taking it off, with the fire-light dancing among the kinks of her flax-like hair, the old man stepped forward to help her.
"Hands off," said Tom. "Don"t touch her."
"Wolfish protector of a lamb," the old man replied, "I ought to throw you out; but it is not my mission to cast out devils."
The girl sat down on a bench and Tom took a seat beside her; and with many a giggle and a "quit that, now," they picked at each other. Old Gid, in his splint-bottomed chair, leaned back against the wall and feasted his eyes upon their antics. "Kittens," said he, "I will get you a string and a b.u.t.ton. Ah, Lord, I was once a delicious idiot."
"And you"ve simply lost your deliciousness," Tom replied.
"Ah, and in its place took up age. But with it came wisdom, Thomas."
"But didn"t it come too late?"
"The wise utterance of a foolish youth," said the old man. "Yes, Thomas, it came too late. Wisdom is not of much use to an old codger. He can"t profit by it himself and n.o.body wants his advice. Did I ever tell you about the girl I loved? Ah, she was glorious. June was in her mouth and October fell out of her hair."
"And you didn"t marry her because she was poor, eh?"
"No, but because she was rich, Jimmie. She wanted me not; and she married a wealthy fool and the imbecile made her happy. I could almost forgive her for not loving me, for I was a mate on a steamboat, but to let that fool make her happy--it was too much and I cast her out of my mind. But when is your wedding to take place? In the sweet light of a distant moon or within the sunshine of a few days?"
"Hanged if I know."
"Tom!" cried the girl, putting her hands over his mouth, "that"s no way to talk."
"I said it to make you do that," he replied, his voice latticed by her fingers and sounding afar off. He took her hands and pressed them to his cheek.
"A pretty picture, and I"ll long remember you as you now sit on that bench," said the old man. "Sallie, how old are you?" he asked.
"I don"t know, sir. Pap and mother couldn"t put it down "cause they didn"t know how to figger, and when I got so I could figger a little they had dun forgot the year and the day of the month. Most of the time when I"m by myself I feel old enough, but sometimes Uncle Wash calls me foolish and then I"m awful young. But Aunt Martha never calls me foolish "cause I help her in the kitchen."
There came a scratching at the threshold. The old man got out of his tilted chair and opened the door, and a dog, prancing in, lay down in front of the fire, with his nose between his outstretched paws.
"What a pretty dog," said the girl, and with a look out of one eye and with a slight wag of the tail the dog acknowledged the compliment.
"Oh, he"s gallant," Gid replied, sitting down. "And he knows when a truth has been told about him."
"No good at hunting, is he?" Tom asked.
"He is not a sportsman," Gid answered. "He pays his keep with companionship. I sit here and read him to sleep nearly every night. He tries to keep awake, but he can"t. But as long as I read a lively book he"ll lie there and look up at me as if he enjoys it, and I believe he does, but "Benton"s Thirty Years in the American Senate" will knock him most any time. And old Whateley"s logic makes him mighty drowsy. I reckon you cubs have been to supper. If you haven"t you may make yourselves at home and cook something. Old Aunt Liza cooks for me, out there in the other room, but she"s generally away in the service of her church and then I have to shift for myself."
"We"ve been to supper," the girl spoke up, "but if you want something to eat I"ll cook it."
"Bless your life, not a bite," the old man protested. "To eat now would canker a memory. I took sacrament over at the Major"s. Now, I"m going to lean back here and I may talk or I may drop off to sleep, and in either event just let me go. But if I doze off don"t wake me, not even when you get ready to leave. Just pull the door to and that"s all."
"Ain"t you afraid to sleep here all by yourself?" the girl asked. "I"d be afraid somebody"d slip in and grab me."
"I could scarcely blame any one for grabbing you, my dear," the old man replied, smiling upon her, "but as for myself, the grabber would get the worst of it."
A long time they sat and talked of neighborhood happenings, the death of a burly man who it was never supposed could die before Wash Sanders was laid away; they talked of the growing dissatisfaction among the negroes, of the church built by Father Brennon, of the trip to be taken to New Orleans by Jim and Tom. The fire-light died down. A chunk fell and the dog jumped up with a sniff and a sneeze. Old Gideon took no notice, for leaning back against the wall he was softly snoring.
"Let us leave him just as he is," said Tom.
"But it looks cruel," the girl replied.
"He suffers from sleeplessness; to wake him would be more cruel. Let"s do as he told us."
The girl put the bench out of the way, that he might not fall over it in the dark; and out of the room they tip-toed and silently they closed the door. By the hand he led her to the road, and with a coo and a song they strolled homeward. The clouds were scattered and acres of light lay on the cleared land; but the woods were dark and the shadows were black, and he walked with his arm about her. They heard the galloping of a horse and stepped aside to let the rider pa.s.s, and when he had pa.s.sed, with his head in the moonlight and his horse in the dark, the young man said: "I know that fellow."
"Why didn"t you speak to him?" she asked.
"Because it wouldn"t do for me to have any words with him. He"s the man that"s trying to organize the negroes."
He left her at Wash Sanders" gate; he heard her feet upon the steps, and looking back he caught the kiss she threw at him.