"Yes. Yes, Sam, I suppose I do."
"Yes. Well, I--I don"t know why it never struck me, either. If Georgianna--if my wife had been alive, she"d have noticed, I"ll bet, but I didn"t. "Twas only last evenin"; when he came to get her to go to the pictures, that it came across me, you might say, like--like a wet, cold rope"s end" slappin" me in the face. I give you my word, Jed, I--I kind of shivered all over. She means--she means somethin" to me, that little girl and--and--"
He seemed to find it hard to go on. Jed leaned forward.
"I know, Sam, I know," he said. His friend nodded.
"I know you do, Jed," he said. "I don"t think there"s anybody else knows so well. I"m glad I"ve got you to talk to. I cal"late, though," he added, with a short laugh, "if some folks knew I came here to--to talk over my private affairs they"d think I was goin"
soft in the head."
Jed smiled, and there was no resentment in the smile.
"They"d locate the softness in t"other head of the two, Sam," he suggested.
"I don"t care where they locate it. I can talk to you about things I never mention to other folks. Guess it must be because you--you-- well, I don"t know, but it"s so, anyhow. . . . Well, to go ahead, after the young folks had gone I sat there alone in the parlor, in the dark, tryin" to think it out. The housekeeper had gone over to her brother"s, so I had the place to myself. I thought and thought and the harder I thought the lonesomer the rest of my life began to look. And yet--and yet I kept tellin" myself how selfish and foolish that was. I knew "twas a dead sartinty she"d be gettin"
married some time. You and I have laughed about it and joked about it time and again. And I"ve joked about it with her, too. But-- but jokin"s one thing and this was another. . . . Whew!"
He drew a hand across his forehead. Jed did not speak. After a moment the captain went on.
"Well," he said, "when she got home, and after he"d gone, I got Maud to sit on my knee, same as she"s done ever since she was a little girl, and she and I had a talk. I kind of led up to the subject, as you might say, and by and by we--well, we talked it out pretty straight. She thinks an awful sight of him, Jed. There ain"t any doubt about that, she as much as told me in those words, and more than told me in other ways. And he"s the only one she"s ever cared two straws for, she told me that. And--and--well, I think she thinks he cares for her that way, too, although of course she didn"t say so. But he hasn"t spoken to her yet. I don"t know, but--but it seemed to me, maybe, that he might be waitin" to speak to me first. I"m his--er--boss, you know, and perhaps he may feel a little--little under obligations to me in a business way and that might make it harder for him to speak. Don"t it seem to you maybe that might be it, Jed?"
Poor Jed hesitated. Then he stammered that he shouldn"t be surprised. Captain Sam sighed.
"Well," he said, "if that"s it, it does him credit, anyhow. I ain"t goin" to be selfish in this thing, Jed. If she"s goin" to have a husband--and she is, of course--I cal"late I"d rather "twas Charlie than anybody else I"ve ever run across. He"s smart and he"ll climb pretty high, I cal"late. Our little single-sticked bankin" craft ain"t goin" to be big enough for him to sail in very long. I can see that already. He"ll be navigatin" a clipper one of these days. Well, that"s the way I"d want it. I"m pretty ambitious for that girl of mine and I shouldn"t be satisfied short of a top-notcher. And he"s a GOOD feller, Jed; a straight, clean, honest and above-board young chap. That"s the best of it, after all, ain"t it?"
Jed"s reply was almost a groan, but his friend did not notice. He put on his overcoat and turned to go.
"So, there you are," he said. "I had to talk to somebody, had to get it off my chest, and, as I just said, it seems to be easier to talk such things to you than anybody else. Now if any of the town gas engines--Gab Bea.r.s.e or anybody else--comes cruisin" in here heavin" overboard questions about how I like the notion of Maud and Charlie takin" up with each other, you can tell "em I"m tickled to death. That won"t be all lie, neither. I can"t say I"m happy, exactly, but Maud is and I"m goin" to make-believe be, for her sake. So long."
He went out. Jed put his elbows on the workbench and covered his face with his hands. He was still in that position when Ruth Armstrong came in. He rose hastily, but she motioned him to sit again.
"Jed," she said, "Captain Hunniwell was just here with you; I saw him go. Tell me, what was he talking about?"
Jed was confused. "Why--why, Mrs. Ruth," he stammered, "he was just talkin" about--about a note he"d been collectin", and--and such."
"Wasn"t he speaking of his daughter--and--and my brother?"
This time Jed actually gasped. Ruth drew a long breath. "I knew it," she said.
"But--but, for mercy sakes, HOW did you know? Did he--?"
"No, he didn"t see me at all. I was watching him from the window.
But I saw his face and--" with a sudden gesture of desperation, "Oh, it wasn"t that at all, Jed. It was my guilty conscience, I guess. I"ve been expecting him to speak to you--or me--have been dreading it every day--and now somehow I knew he had spoken. I KNEW it. What did he say, Jed?"
Jed told the substance of what Captain Sam had said. She listened.
When he finished her eyes were wet.
"Oh, it is dreadful," she moaned. "I--I was so hoping she might not care for Charlie. But she does--of course she does. She couldn"t help it," with a sudden odd little flash of loyalty.
Jed rubbed his chin in desperation.
"And--and Charlie?" he asked, anxiously. "Does he--"
"Yes, yes, I"m sure he does. He has never told me so, never in so many words, but I can see. I know him better than any one else in the world and I can see. I saw first, I think, on Thanksgiving Day; at least that is when I first began to suspect--to fear."
Jed nodded. "When they was at the piano together that time and Sam said somethin" about their bein" a fine-lookin" couple?" he said.
"Why, yes, that was it. Are you a mind reader, Jed?"
"No-o, I guess not. But I saw you lookin" kind of surprised and-- er--well, scared for a minute. I was feelin" the same way just then, so it didn"t need any mind reader to guess what had scared you."
"I see. But, oh, Jed, it is dreadful! What SHALL we do? What will become of us all? And now, when I--I had just begun to be happy, really happy."
She caught her breath in a sob. Jed instinctively stretched out his hand.
"But there," she went on, hurriedly wiping her eyes, "I mustn"t do this. This is no time for me to think of myself. Jed, this mustn"t go any further. He must not ask her to marry him; he must not think of such a thing."
Jed sadly shook his head. "I"m afraid you"re right," he said.
"Not as things are now he surely mustn"t. But--but, Mrs. Ruth--"
"Oh, don"t!" impatiently. "Don"t use that silly "Mrs." any longer.
Aren"t you the--the best friend I have in the world? Do call me Ruth."
If she had been looking at his face just then she might have seen-- things. But she was not looking. There was an interval of silence before he spoke.
"Well, then--er--Ruth--" he faltered.
"That"s right. Go on."
"I was just goin" to ask you if you thought Charlie was cal"latin"
to ask her. I ain"t so sure that he is."
He told of Charles" recent visit to the windmill shop and the young man"s query concerning the making of a decision. She listened anxiously.
"But don"t you think that means that he was wondering whether or not he should ask her?" she said.
"No. That is, I don"t think it"s sartin sure it means that. I rather had the notion it might mean he was figgerin" whether or not to go straight to Sam and make a clean breast of it."
"You mean tell--tell everything?"
"Yes, all about the--the business at Middleford. I do honestly believe that"s what the boy"s got on his mind to do. It ain"t very surprisin" that he backs and fills some before that mind"s made up.
See what it might mean to him: it might mean the loss of his prospects here and his place in the bank and, more"n everything else, losin" Maud. It"s some decision to make. If I had to make it I-- Well, I don"t know."
She put her hand to her eyes. "The POOR boy," she said, under her breath. "But, Jed, DO you think that is the decision he referred to? And why hasn"t he said a word to me, his own sister, about it?
I"m sure he loves me."
"Sartin he does, and that"s just it, as I see it. It ain"t his own hopes and prospects alone that are all wrapped up in this thing, it"s yours--and Babbie"s. He"s troubled about what"ll happen to you. That"s why he hasn"t asked your advice, I believe."
They were both silent for a moment. Then she said, pleadingly, "Oh, Jed, it is up to you and me, isn"t it? What shall we do?"