The Southerner.
by Thomas Dixon.
PROLOGUE
I
Tom seated himself at the table and looked into his wife"s face with a smile:
"Nancy, it"s a meal fit for a king!"
The supper over, he smoked his pipe before the cabin fire of blazing logs, while she cleared the wooden dishes. He watched her get the paper, goose-quill pen and ink as a prisoner sees the scaffold building for his execution.
"Now we"re all ready," she said cheerfully.
The man laid his pipe down with a helpless look. A brief respite flashed through his mind. Maybe he could sidestep the lessons before she pinned him down.
"Lord, Nancy, I forgot my gun. I must grease her right away," he cried.
He rose with a quick decisive movement and took his rifle from the rack.
She knew it was useless to protest and let him have his way.
Over every inch of its heavy barrel and polished walnut stock he rubbed a piece of greased linen with loving care, drew back the flint-lock and greased carefully every nook and turn of its mechanism, lifted the gun finally to his shoulder and drew an imaginary bead on the head of a turkey gobbler two hundred yards away. A glowing coal of hickory wood in the fire served for his game.
He lowered the gun and held it before him with pride:
"Nancy, she"s the dandiest piece o" iron that wuz ever twisted inter the shape of a weepon. Old "Speakeasy"s her name! She"s got the softest voice that ever whispered death to a varmint or an Injun--hit ain"t much louder"n the crack of a whip, but, man alive, when she talks she says somethin". "Kerpeow!" she whispers soft an" low! She"s got a voice like yourn, Nancy--kinder sighs when she speaks----"
"Well," the wife broke in with a shake of her dark head, "has mother"s little boy played long enough with his toy?"
"I reckon so," Tom laughed.
"Then it"s time for school." She gently took the rifle from his hands, placed it on the buck horns and took her seat at the table.
The man looked ruefully at the stool, suddenly straightened his ma.s.sive frame, lifted his hand above his head and c.o.c.ked his eye inquiringly:
"May I git er drink er water fust?"
The teacher laughed in spite of herself:
"Yes, you big lubber, and hurry up."
Tom seized the water bucket and started for the door.
"Where are you going?" she cried in dismay.
"I"ll jest run down to the spring fer a fresh bucket----"
"O Tom!" she exclaimed.
"I"ll be right back in a minute, Honey," he protested softly. "Hit"s goin" ter be powerful hot--I"ll need a whole bucket time I"m through."
Before she could answer he was gone.
He managed to stay nearly a half hour. She put the baby to sleep and sat waiting with her pensive young eyes gazing at the leaping flames. She heard him stop and answer the call of an owl from the woods. A whip-poor-will was softly singing from the bushes nearby. He stopped to call him also, and then found an excuse to linger ten minutes more fooling with his dogs.
The laggard came at last and dropped on his stool by her side. He sat for five minutes staring helplessly at the copy she had set. Big beads of perspiration stood on his forehead when he took the pen. He held it awkwardly and timidly as if it were a live reptile. She took his clumsy hand in hers and showed him how to hold it.
"My, but yo" hand"s soft an" sweet, Nancy,--jest lemme hold that a while----"
She rapped his knuckles.
"All right, teacher, I"ll be good," he protested, and bent his huge shoulders low over his task. He bore so hard on the frail quill pen the ink ran in a big blot.
"Not so hard, Tom!" she cried.
"But I got so much strenk in my right arm I jist can"t hold it back."
"You must try again."
He tried again and made a heavy tremulous line. His arm moved at a snail"s gait and wobbled frightfully.
"Make the line quicker," she urged encouragingly. "Begin at the top and come down----"
"Here, you show me how!"
She took his rough hand quietly in hers, and guided it swiftly from right to left in straight smooth lines until a dozen were made, when he suddenly drew her close, kissed her lips, and held the slender fingers in a grip of iron. She lay still in his embrace for a moment, released herself and turned from him with a sigh. He drew her quickly to the light of the fire and saw the unshed tears in her eyes.
"What"s the use ter worry, Nancy gal?" he said. "Give it up ez a bad job. I wouldn"t fool with no sech scholar ef I wuz you. Ye can"t teach an old dog new tricks----"
"I won"t give up!" she cried with sudden energy. "I can teach you and I will. I won"t give up and be n.o.body. O Tom, you promised me before we were married to let me teach you--didn"t you promise?"
"Yes, Honey, I did----" he paused and his fine teeth gleamed through the black beard--"but ye know a feller"ll promise any thing ter git his gal----"
"Didn"t you mean to keep your word?" She broke in sharply.
"Of course I did, Nancy, I never wuz more earnest in my life--"ceptin when I got religion. But I had no idee larnin" come so hard. I"d ruther fight Injuns an" wil" cats or rob a bee tree any day than ter tackle them pot hooks you"re sickin" after me----"
"Well, I won"t give up," she interrupted impatiently, "and you"d just as well make up your mind to stick to it. You can do what other men have done. You"re good, honest and true, you"re kindhearted and popular.
They"ve already made you the road supervisor of this township. Learn to read and write and you can make a good speech and go to the Legislature."
"Ah, Nancy, what do ye want me ter do that fur, anyhow, gal? I"d be the happiest man in the world right here in this cabin by the woods ef you"d jest be happy with me. Can"t ye quit hankerin" after them things, Honey?"
She shook her dark head firmly.
"You know, Nancy, we wuz neighbors to Dan"l Boone. We thought he wuz about the biggest man that ever lived. Somehow the love o" the woods an"
fields is always singin" in my heart. Them still shinin" stars up in the sky out thar to-night keep a callin" me. I could hear the music o" my hounds in my soul ez I stood by the spring a while ago. Ye know what scares me most ter death sometimes, gal?" He paused and looked into her eyes intently.