"Sho! sho! You mustn"t be lonesome. They won"t get married yet awhile, I cal"late."
"No. I suppose not. But Emily will have to go next week back to her school, and she"ll take Georgie with her. I"ll miss "em both terribly."
"Yes, so you will. But you"ve got your brother now. He"ll be some company."
"Yes. But, unless he"s changed more than I"m afraid he has, he"ll be more responsibility than comfort. He means well enough, poor Jed, but he ain"t what you"d call a capable person."
"Well, Imogene"s capable enough, and she"ll be here."
"Yes."
Silence for a time. Then Captain Obed spoke.
"Thankful," he said, earnestly, "I know what"s worryin" you. It"s just what you said, the responsibility of it all. It"s too much for you, the responsibility of handlin" this big house and a houseful of boarders when they come. You hadn"t ought to do it alone. You ought to have somebody to help."
"Perhaps I had, but I don"t know who "twill be. I can"t afford to hire the kind of help I need."
"Why don"t you take a partner?"
"A partner? Who, for goodness sakes?"
"Well--me. I"ve got some money of my own. I"ll go in partners with you here. . . . Oh, now, now!" he added hastily. "Don"t think there"s any charity in this. There ain"t at all. As I see it, this boardin" house is mighty good business and a safe investment. Suppose you and I go in partners on it, Thankful."
Thankful shook her head.
"You"re awfully good," she said.
"No, I ain"t."
"Yes, you are. But I couldn"t do it, Obed."
"Why not?"
"You know why not. For the same reason I couldn"t say yes to what you asked me a while ago. I can"t let you help me out of pity."
"Pity!" He turned and stared at her. "Pity!" he repeated.
"Yes, pity. I know you"re sorry for me. You said you were. And I know you"d do anything to help me, even--even--"
He interrupted.
"Thankful Barnes," he said, "did you think I asked you what I asked that time out of PITY?"
"Now, Obed--"
"Stop! Answer me. Did you think such a fool thing as THAT? You stay right where you are! I want you to look me in the face."
"Don"t, Obed! Don"t! Let me be. Don"t!"
He paid not the slightest attention. He was bending over her, his hand beneath her chin, forcing her to look at him.
"Don"t, Obed!" she begged.
"Thankful, you tell me. Did you think I asked you to marry me just because I pitied you. Just because I was sorry for you? Did you?"
"Obed, please!"
"Thankful, I"ve come to care for you more"n anything else in the world.
I don"t pity you. I"ve been pityin" myself for the last month because I couldn"t have you--just you. I want you, Thankful Barnes, and if you"ll marry me I"ll be the happiest critter that walks."
"Oh, Obed, don"t make it so hard for me. You said you wouldn"t. And--and you can"t care--really."
"I can"t! Do you care for me? That"s what I want to know."
"Obed, you and I ain"t young folks. We"re gettin" on towards old age.
What would folks say if--"
He threw his arms about her and literally lifted her from the chair.
"I don"t care a durn WHAT they say," he shouted, exultantly. "You"ve said what I was waitin" for. Or you"ve looked it, anyhow. Now then, WHEN shall we be married? That"s the next thing for you to say, my girl."
They sat there in the gathering dusk and talked. The captain was uproariously gay. He could scarcely keep still, but whistled and drummed tunes upon the chair arm with his fingers. Thankful was more subdued and quiet, but she was happy, completely happy at last.
"This"ll be some boardin"-house, this one of ours," declared the captain. "We"ll build the addition you wanted and we"ll make the city folks sit up and take notice. And," with a gleeful chuckle, "we won"t have any ghost snorin" warnin"s, either."
Thankful laughed. "No, we won"t," she said. "And yet I"m awfully grateful to that--that--that pig ghost. If it hadn"t been for him that mortgage would still be hangin" over us. And Solomon would never have been scared into doin" what he promised Uncle Abner he would do. Perhaps he"ll be a better man, a more generous man to some of his other poor victims after this. I hope he will."
"So do I, but I have my doubts."
"Well, we"ll never kill old Patrick Henry, will we? That would be TOO ungrateful."
Captain Obed slapped his knee.
"Kill him!" he repeated: "I should say not! Why, he"s your Uncle Abner and Rebecca Timpson"s sister Medora and old Laban Eldredge and I don"t know how many more. Killin" him would be a double back-action ma.s.sacre.
No indeed, we won"t kill him! Come on, let"s go out and have a look at him now. I"d like to shake his hand, if he had one."
"But, Obed, it"s rainin"."
"What of it? We don"t care for rain. It"s goin" to be all sunshine for you after this, my lady. I"m the weather prophet and I tell you so. G.o.d bless you, Thankful Barnes."
Thankful smiled.
"He has blessed me already, Obed," she said.