"Well--I"d as lief see Faith and Mrs. Derrick as a"most any other two folks in Pattaqua.s.set,--but they"re a long ways off, you say?"
"No further than the parlour, I believe."
Mr. Simlins was willing to go as far as the parlour, and so the party on the porch adjourned thither. A bright lamp lit the room, by which Faith was mending stockings; while Mrs. Derrick sat in an easy chair a little further off, rocking and knitting.
"Well," said Mr. Simlins, "when the sun goes down _I_ think it is time to knock off work; but womenkind don"t seem to think so."
"I guess when the sun goes down your work"s knocked off, Mr. Simlins,"
said Mrs. Derrick.
"Fact, Mrs. Derrick, when I"m to home; but when a man"s visiting he has to work night _and_ day. Moonlight"s moonlight now. I declare, in Jersey I thought it was broad sunshine.--You haven"t been down to my place yet, Mr. Linden?"
"No sir, not within the gate."
"The Simlins" have held that place, sir, off and on, for nigh three hundred years. We"re a good many Simlins"--and we"re a good set, I"ll say it! a pretty good set. Not thin-skinned, you know,--we can take a scratch without bein" killed--but we never would stand bein" trampled on. We"re soft-hearted too; plenty o" what I may call _tendrils_, ready to take hold of anything; and when we take hold we _do_ take hold. We cover a good deal of ground in the country, here and elsewhere--in the various branches. My mother was a Mush, and my grandmother was a Citron; a good families those, sir; can"t do better than take a wife from one of them, Mr. Linden, if you are so disposed;--you haven"t got one already, have you?"
"_What_, sir?" said Mr. Linden, with more sharpness than he often shewed, and which made Mrs. Derrick drop her knitting and look up.
"I thought you wasn"t a married man--are you?" said Mr. Simlins, the grin just shewing itself again on his face.
"Is that one of the charges brought against me?" said Mr. Linden, a little too roused himself to pay much heed to Mr. Simlins" questions.
"Well I didn"t know as you"d think it a "charge,"" said Mr. Simlins with an unchanged tone. "I guess you mean to make it true some day, don"t you?"
The question fell unheeded--the charge did not; it touched him deeply; touched the proud sense of character; though no words gave evidence of the fact.
"Faith, child," said Mrs. Derrick in that moment of silence, her whisper as low as she thought would reach across the table, "ought we to be here?"
But a very emphatic, "Yes!" from the window, prevented the need of Faith"s answer.
"I was only recommending," said Mr. Simlins, "in case you wanted help to make up your mind. The Citrons are all gone to New Jersey--there"s a few of the Mushes ramblin" round Connecticut yet. Well Mr. Linden--I hope you and your boys get on commodiously together?"
"Just look into that basket on the table, and see what one of em brought him to-night," said Mrs. Derrick. "Those are Stoutenburgh Sweetings, Mr. Simlins."
Mr. Simlins looked at the Sweetings and then looked towards the window.
"I"d like to hear you speak a little on that point," he said. "Fact is, there"s been some winds blowin" about Pattaqua.s.set that aint come off beds o" roses; and I"d like to find where the pison is and clap a stopper on it for the future. It"s easy done."
Mr. Linden looked up with his usual expression, only the smile was grave and a little moved, and answered,
"I could say a good deal on that point, Mr. Simlins. Yet I had rather you should ask the boys than me."
"Don"t want to ask the boys nothin", bless you!" said Mr. Simlins.
"What I want to say is this;--what"s the matter between you and the Squire? I"ve been askin" _him_, and he says you learn the boys to make a V wrong side upward--I can"t make nothin" of that," said Mr. Simlins, with again the approach to a grin;--""taint over easy to tell whether _his_ Vs are one side up or "tother. Now I"d like to know from you where the hitch is. The Squire aint likely to set the Mong in a configuration just yet--but if he"s swingin" a torch round, I"d jest as lief put it out afore the sharks fly."
"But Mr. Simlins, don"t you think it is rather hard measure to ask me why people dislike me?"
"Well--I don"t see as I do," said Mr. Simlins placidly;--""cause I know pretty well it"s some chymistry idee of his own; and if I could get hold of it, you see, I should have a better handle. I guess the school never went on better than it"s goin"; _he_ don"t know beans."
"How do you know that I do?" said Mr. Linden smiling. "Why don"t you ask him? I think at least half his ill will arises from a mistake."
"Have asked _him_," said Mr. Simlins--"just come from there;--but he"s pretty much like them V"s we were speakin" about; don"t spell nothin".
What"s his mistake about then? if I knowed that, I could bring things to a concert."
"Why," said Mr. Linden with grave deliberation, "suppose he wants to buy your house? and takes a walk up that way to set forth his terms."
"Well--suppose he does"--said Mr. Simlins attentively.
"He finds you and Judge Harrison in the porch, you talk about the crops and the weather, and he tells you he wants your house. What do you say to him?"
"I tell him I don"t sell it to no one but a Simlins--nor that neither till I can"t live in it no longer myself."
"Is that your fault--or Judge Harrison"s?" said Mr. Linden, setting the basket of Stoutenburgh Sweetings on the little table in the full light of the lamp. "Miss Faith, if those are "sweetenings," they may as well do their office."
The farmer sat with his elbows on his knees, touching the tips of his fingers together in thoughtful fashion, and softly blowing the breath through his lips in a way that might have reached the dignity of a whistle if it had had a trifle more of musicalness.
"Is them the sort of lessons you give in school?" he said at length without stirring.
"Why?" said Mr. Linden with a little bit of a smile.
"Ingen-uous," said Mr. Simlins. "It"s as good as a book, Mrs. Derrick,"
added he glancing up at the rocking chair, "is Squire Deacon wantin" to buy your house?"
"My!" said Mrs. Derrick, again laying down her knitting, "can"t he be content with his own? I hope he don"t want ours," she added, some fear mingling with her surprise.
"Miss Faith," said Mr. Linden, "do you think if I gave you an apple you would give me a knife?"
"I hope he don"t," growled Mr. Simlins as he rose up. "I never heerd that he did. Miss Faith--them Stoutenburgh Sweetings is good eatin"."
Faith after setting a pile of plates and knives on the table, had taken up her stocking again.
"Yes Mr. Simlins--I know they are."
"Then why don"t you eat one?"
"I don"t want it just now, Mr. Simlins--I"d rather finish my work."
"Work!" said the farmer taking an apple. "Well--good evening! I"ll go and look after my work. I guess we"ll fix it. There"s a sight o" work in the world!"
With which moral reflection Mr. Simlins departed.
"There"ll be more work than sight, at this rate," said Mr. Linden when he came back from the front door. "Mrs. Derrick, how many stockings does Miss Faith absolutely require for one day?"
"Why I don"t know sir--and I don"t believe I ever did know since she was big enough to run about," said Mrs. Derrick, her mind still dwelling upon the house.
"Miss Faith, my question stands transferred to you."
"Why you know," said Faith, intent upon the motions of her needle,--"I might require to _mend_ in one day what would last me to wear a good many--and I do."