In order to avoid "The Pa.s.s," and its horrors, Little Wolf took a circuitous route home. She emerged from the wild, unbroken path through the forest just as Wycoff was begining to feel seriously uneasy at her prolonged absence.
He eagerly caught at the bridle, "I was afraid Black Hawk had been playing pranks," he said, patting the animal"s neck: "Why, here"s blood upon the beast; I guess he"s got rubbed agin a tree. It wan"t exactly safe to come that way, anyhow, but girls will be girls, there"s a natural tendancy in "em to go into crooked ways," and Wycoff laughed, as he thought that he had perpetrated a good joke, and looked at Little Wolf as if he expected her too appreciate it.
"It is Mr. Glutter"s blood," gasped Little Wolf, "he attempted to stop us in the Pa.s.s, and Black Hawk trampled upon him."
"Oh! that"s it, eh?" said Wycoff. "A knowing critter, that. He"s got the instincts of a woman, and I ain"t sure but he knows as much as a man. Well, I hope Hank is dead, anyhow."
"Oh, don"t say so, Mr. Wycoff," said Little Wolf, every particle of color forsaking her face.
"Well, now if I ain"t beat," said the rough man, "I thought you would be tickled to dance on Hank"s grave."
Little Wolf turned silently away and went into the house.
"Well, well," and Wycoff bent a look of inquiry upon Sorrel Top, who had been out sharing his solicitude for her mistress.
"I guess she feels kinder horrible like, about seeing him mashed," was Sorrel Top"s explanatory reply.
"Well, I"ll jest go round and see what his condition is, anyhow."
While Wycoff was on his mission and Little Wolf shut up in her room, Sorrel Top hastened to communicate the news to Daddy.
""Tween you and me I"m glad on"t," said Daddy, exultingly. I hope he"s dead."
"Well, now, that"s heathenish, Daddy, to wish a feller critter dead."
"He wan"t no feller critter," said Daddy, indignantly, "he was nothin"
but a liquor-seller: the wust kind tu, fur he knowed just what mischief he wus a doing to the human race. Yes, and to the brute race tu, fur I"ve seen men whallop their hosses nigh about tu death when they was in liquor."
"I"ve seen "em wallop "em when they want in liquor," said Sorrel Top, determined as usual to combat Daddy at all hazards.
""Tween you and me, sich men ain"t feller critters, nuther, I reckon they"ll live next door to liquor sellers, by and by," said Daddy, with self righteous-a.s.surance.
"I"d like to know where you expect to go when you die?" said Sorrel Top, with a toss of the head."
"Why, I"ll go tu that ere place where folks go that du the best they know."
"Well, you"re lucky if you can say you have always done the best you could," said the other in a tone which clearly indicated a doubt of Daddy"s entire veracity.
""Tween you and me, I"ve been thinking that I might hev been more active in the temperance cause. I guess afore long I"ll git up a temperance lectur and go round deliverin" of it."
"O, pshaw, you wouldn"t git no _ordiance_. Would he f.a.n.n.y?" said Sorrel Top, appealing to f.a.n.n.y Green, who had been a silent but not uninterested listener to the conversation.
"I guess he would," said f.a.n.n.y, hopefully, "I would attend."
"Of course you would," said Daddy, excitedly, "and the Honey would too."
"Well, you couldn"t tell me nothing more than I know on that pint,"
said Sorrel Top, flinging herself out of the room with an air of unqualified contempt.
Left alone with Daddy, f.a.n.n.y ventured to say softly, "Daddy have you ever prayed about it?"
"About what, f.a.n.n.y?"
"Why, about people"s drinking and selling liquor and those things that you talk about?"
"Pray about it? why no. What should I pray about it fur? I never pray about nothing."
f.a.n.n.y looked shocked. "Don"t you know the Bible tells us to pray, Daddy?"
"Well, I spose it does," Daddy admitted, "but somehow I hev never said my prayers, since I was a little shaver; I reckon it don"t do no good fur tu pray, no how. My religion is tu do the best I ken."
"But, Daddy, if G.o.d tells you to ask for what you want, and you don"t do it, is that doing the best you can?"
"I ruther guess you"ve got the best of old Daddy, this ere time," said the old man, stroking the child"s sunny locks. ""Tween you and me, f.a.n.n.y, I don"t know nothin" at all about the Bible. My father and mother died afore I was old enough fur tu read, and I was bound tu a man that didn"t gin me a big edication, I never seen a Bible in his house,"
"Then you don"t know about Jesus Christ?" said f.a.n.n.y, quite pitifully
"Laws yes, I"ve heern ministers preach a leetle about him once in a while when I went to church fur tu go hum with Recta; but, somehow, I want much took up with him."
"O, but Daddy, you would have been if you had understood that he was the best friend you ever had. My mamma used to tell me how he came to die for us, and how we could not get to Heaven without him. I will tell you all about it, Daddy, shall I? I told Miss DeWolf, yesterday, and she looked real glad."
"Laws, f.a.n.n.y, the Honey is high edicated and knows a heap more than we do."
"O, yes, of course, Daddy, but then she had never heard it just as mamma used to tell it; for you know mamma talked just as if she had lived in the same house with Him, and He had told her Himself all about the beautiful place for all those that He can take there."
"Well, He may take me," said Daddy.
"O, but you will have to ask him to take you, Daddy," said his little instructress, opening wide her eyes.
""Tween you and me, there"s the stick, f.a.n.n.y, I really don"t know how fur tu ask him."
"Why, Daddy, how would you ask him for bread if you were starving?"
"I calculate I"d beg mighty hard if I was in sich a tight place."
f.a.n.n.y"s eyes filled, and Daddy feeling rather uncomfortable, patted her cheek tenderly.
"You"re a fust rate leetle gal, f.a.n.n.y," he said, "and I"m kinder thinking I"ll look into this ere matter by and by, when I get my lectur writ."
"May be, if you should ask Him, G.o.d would make you think what is the best thing to say in your lecture," persisted the child.
"Laws, f.a.n.n.y, I ken think of them ere things myself. All the help I want is a leetle mite from you about the spellin.
"Wycoff now appeared looking very grave and reported Hank, "stone dead."