"Well, well, well!" exclaimed the old man, fumbling feebly in his pockets for his red bandanna handkerchief, "what kind of a come-off is this? Did you ast him to stay to dinner, honey?"
"No--no; he didn"t gimme a chance."
"I "lowed you didn"t," exclaimed Grandsir Hightower triumphantly. "I thes natchally "lowed you didn"t. That"s what riled "im. An" now he"ll go off an" vilify you. Well, well, well! he"s missed his dinner! The fust time in many"s the long day. Watch "im, Babe! Watch "im, honey! The Ole Boy"s in "im. I know "im; I"ve kep" my two eyes on "im. For a mess er turnip-greens an" dumperlin"s that man "u"d do murder." The old man paused and looked all around, as if by that means to dissipate a suspicion that he was dreaming. "An" so Tuck missed his dinner! Tooby sh.o.r.e--tooby sh.o.r.e!"
"Oh, hit ain"t that," cried Babe; "he"s jealous of Cap"n Chichester."
"Why, the good Lord, honey! what makes you run on that way?"
"He tol" me so," said Babe.
"Jealous!" exclaimed Grandsir Hightower, "jealous er that young feller!
Merciful powers, honey! he"s a-begrudgin" "im the vittles what he eats.
I know"d it the minnit I seed "im come a-sa"nterin" in the yard. Lord, Lord! I wish in my soul the poor creetur could git a chance at one er them ar big Whig barbecues what they useter have."
But there was small consolation in all this for Babe; and she went into the house, where her forlorn appearance attracted the attention of her mother. "Why, Babe! what in the worl"!" exclaimed this practical woman, dropping her work in amazement. "What in the name er sense ails you?"
Babe had no hesitation in telling her mother the facts.
"Well, my goodness!" was Mrs. Hightower"s comment, "I wouldn"t go aroun"
whinin" about it, ef I wuz you--that I wouldn"t. n.o.body never ketched me whinin" "roun" atter your pappy "fore we wuz married, an" he wuz lots purtier than what Tuck Peevy is. When your pappy got tetchy, I thes says to myself, s"I: "Ef I"m wuth havin", I"m wuth scramblin" atter;" an" ef your pappy hadn"t "a" scrambled an" scuffled "roun" he wouldn"t "a" got me nuther, ef I do up an" say it myself. I"d a heap druther see you fillin" them slays an" a-fixin" up for to weave your pappy some shirts, than to see you a-whinin" "roun" atter any chap on the top side er the yeth, let "lone Tuck Peevy."
There was little consolation even in this, but Babe went about her simple duties with some show of spirit; and when her father and Chichester returned from their trip on Sweet.w.a.ter, it would have required a sharp eye to discover that Babe regarded herself as "wearing the green willow." For a few days she avoided Chichester, as if to prove her loyalty to Peevy; but as Peevy was not present to approve her conduct or to take advantage of it, she soon grew tired of playing an unnecessary part. Peevy persisted in staying away; and the result was that Babe"s anger--a healthy quality in a young girl--got the better of her grief. Then wonder took the place of anger; but behind it all was the hope that before many days Peevy would saunter into the house, armed with his inscrutable smile, and inquire, as he had done a hundred times before, how long before dinner would be ready. This theory was held by Grandsir Hightower, but, as it was a very plausible one, Babe adopted it as her own.
Meanwhile, it is not to be supposed that two lovers, one sulking and the other sighing, had any influence on the season. The spring had made some delay in the valley before taking complete possession of the mountain, but this delay was not significant. Even on the mountain, the days began to suggest the ardor of summer. The air was alternately warm and hazy, and crisp and clear. One day Kenesaw would cast aside its atmospheric trappings, and appear to lie within speaking distance of Hightower"s door; the next, it would withdraw behind its blue veil, and seem far enough away to belong to another world. On Hightower"s farm the corn was high enough to whet its green sabres against the wind. One evening Chichester, Hightower, and Babe sat on the little porch with their faces turned toward Kenesaw. They had been watching a line of blue smoke on the mountain in the distance; and, as the twilight deepened into dusk, they saw that the summit of Kenesaw was crowned by a thin fringe of fire. As the darkness gathered, the bright belt of flame projected against the vast expanse of night seemed to belong to the vision of St. John.
"It looks like a picture out of the Bible," suggested Chichester somewhat vaguely.
"It"s wuss"n that, I reckon," said Abe. "Some un"s a-losin" a mighty sight of fencin"; an" timber"s timber these days, lemme tell you."
"Maybe someun"s a-burnin" bresh," said Babe.
"Bless you! they don"t pile bresh in a streak a mile long," said Abe.
The thin line of fire crept along slowly, and the people on the little porch sat and watched it. Occasionally it would crawl to the top of a dead pine, and leave a fiery signal flaming in the air.
"What is the matter with Peevy?" asked Chichester. "I met him on the mountain the other day, and he seemed not to know me."
"He don"t know anybody aroun" here," said Babe with a sigh.
"Hit"s thes some er his an" Babe"s capers," Hightower remarked with a laugh. "They er bin a-cuttin" up this away now gwine on two year". I reckon ag"in" camp-meetin" time Tuck"ll drap in an" make hisself know"d.
Gals and boys is mighty funny wi" the"r gwines-on."
After a little, Abe went into the house, and left the young people to watch the fiery procession on Kenesaw.
"The next time I see Peevy," said Chichester gallantly, "I"ll take him by the sleeve, and show him the road to Beauty"s bower."
"Well, you nee"nter pester wi" "im on account of me," said Babe.
Chichester laughed. The fact that so handsome a girl as Babe should deliberately fall in love with so lank and ungainly a person as Tuck Peevy seemed to him to be one of the problems that philosophers ought to concern themselves with; but, from his point of view, the fact that Babe had not gradually faded away, according to the approved rules of romance, was entirely creditable to human nature on the mountain. A candle, burning in the room that Chichester occupied, shone through the window faintly, and fell on Babe, while Chichester sat in the shadow. As they were talking, a mocking-bird in the apple trees awoke, and poured into the ear of night a flood of delicious melody. Hearing this, Babe seized Chichester"s hat, and placed it on her head.
"There must be some omen in that," said Chichester.
"They say," said Babe, laughing merrily, "that ef a gal puts on a man"s hat when she hears a mocker sing at night, she"ll get married that year an" do well."
"Well, I"m sorry I haven"t got a bonnet to put on," exclaimed Chichester.
"Oh, it don"t work that away!" cried Babe.
The mocking-bird continued to sing, and finally brought its concert to a close by giving a most marvelous imitation of the liquid, silvery chimes of the wood-thrush.
There was a silence for one brief moment. Then there was a red flash under the apple trees followed by the sharp crack of a rifle. There was another brief moment of silence, and then the young girl sighed softly, leaned forward, and fell from her chair.
"What"s this?" cried Abe, coming to the door.
"The Lord only knows!" exclaimed Chichester. "Look at your daughter!"
Abe stepped forward, and touched the girl on the shoulder. Then he shook her gently, as he had a thousand times when rousing her from sleep.
"Babe! git up! Git up, honey, an" go in the house. You ought to "a"
been abed long ago. Git up honey." Chichester stood like one paralyzed.
For the moment, he was incapable of either speech or action.
"I know what sh"e atter," said Abe tenderly. "You wouldn"t believe it skacely, but this yer great big chunk of a gal wants her ole pappy to pick her up an" tote her thes like he useter when she was er little bit of a sc.r.a.p."
"I think she has been shot," said Chichester. To his own ears his voice seemed to be the voice of some other man.
"Shot!" exclaimed Abe. "Why, who"s a-gwine to shoot Babe? Lord, Cap"n!
you dunner nothin" "tall "bout Babe ef you talk that away.--Come on, honey." With that Abe lifted his child in his arms, and carried her into the house. Chichester followed. All his faculties were benumbed, and he seemed to be walking in a dream. It seemed that no such horrible confusion as that by which he was surrounded could have the remotest relation to reality.
Nevertheless, it did not add to his surprise and consternation to find, when Abe had placed the girl on her bed, that she was dead. A little red spot on her forehead, half-hidden by the glossy curling hair, showed that whoever held the rifle aimed it well.
"Why, honey," said Abe, wiping away the slight blood-stain that showed itself, "you struck your head a"in" a nail. Git up! you oughtn"t to be a-gwine on this away before comp"ny."
"I tell you she is dead!" cried Chichester. "She has been murdered!" The girl"s mother had already realized this fact, and her tearless grief was something pitiful to behold. The gray-haired grandfather had also realized it.
"I"d druther see her a-lyin" thar dead," he exclaimed, raising his weak and trembling hands heavenward, "than to see her Tuck Peevy"s wife."
"Why, gentermen!" exclaimed Abe, "how _kin_ she be dead? I oughter know my own gal, I reckon. Many"s an" many"s the time she"s worried me, a-playin" "possum, an" many"s an" many"s the time has I sot by her waitin" tell she let on to wake up. Don"t you all pester wi" her. She"ll wake up therreckly."
At this juncture Tuck Peevy walked into the room. There was a strange glitter in his eyes, a new energy in his movements. Chichester sprang at him, seized him by the throat, and dragged him to the bedside.
"You cowardly, skulking murderer!" he exclaimed, "see what you have done!"
Peevy"s sallow face grew ashen. He seemed to shrink and collapse under Chichester"s hand. His breath came thick and short. His long, bony fingers clutched nervously at his clothes.
"I aimed at the hat!" he exclaimed huskily.
He would have leaned over the girl, but Chichester flung him away from the bedside, and he sank down in a corner, moaning and shaking. Abe took no notice of Peevy"s entrance, and paid no attention to the crouching figure mumbling in the corner, except, perhaps, so far as he seemed to recognize in Chichester"s attack on Peevy a somewhat vigorous protest against his own theory; for, when there was comparative quiet in the room, Hightower raised himself, and exclaimed, in a tone that showed both impatience and excitement:
"Why, great G.o.d A"mighty, gentermen, don"t go on that way! They hain"t no harm done. Thes let us alone. Me an" Babe"s all right. She"s bin a-playin" this away ev"ry sence she wuz a little bit of a gal. Don"t less make her mad, gentermen, bekaze ef we do she"ll take plum tell day atter to-morrer for to come "roun" right."