"n.o.body said anythin" about it, Lije. Couldn"t have been very important--what you said to "em on that occasion."
Peters cleared his rasp-like throat. "Mo" important than some folks mout think."
"Some folks don"t think," Starbuck replied.
"And then ag"in," said Peters, "thar air others that does."
"Ah, hah, an" ef you air one of "em, out with what you air thinkin". Up in the hills one time a dog bit an old feller, and his son"s cotch the dog an" put a rope around his neck to hang him. But they kept on a standin" thar till finally the old feller "low: "Say, boys, when you"ve got to hang a dog, do it as quick as you kin. Do you see whut I am a drivin" at?"
Peters gave a gurgling, mirthless chuckle; and loose-jointed, shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "Well, n.o.body ain"t never accused me of not understandin" things--yit."
"Mebbe it"s because n.o.body ain"t never paid you that much attention."
"Oh, you know how to talk. Ain"t n.o.body ever denied that, but talk that don"t lead up don"t amount to nuthin". Starbuck, our families wan"t right good friends in the past."
"Wan"t in love," Old Jasper agreed, and Peters coughed.
"Yes, that"s a fact. An" I"ve got an old-fashioned, single-barrel, cap-and-ball pistol that uster belong to a Starbuck."
"Yes, and a way back yander it killed a Peters, I"ve hearn."
"Yes, Starbuck, with a three-inch slug. But that"s nuther here nur thar, jest now. I"m willin" to furgit the past."
Starbuck gave him a knife-thrust glance, and replied: "When a Peters says he is, it"s ten to one he ain"t."
"You air still talkin" fust rate. But come to think of it, you an" me ain"t been very much at outs."
"That"s so, Lije. I"ve slept all night many a time without dreamin" of you."
"Yes. But I reckon I"ve been doin" a leetle mo" dreamin" than you have.
Yo" daughter--"
"Only a dream so fur as you air consarned."
"Do you mean to say she won"t marry me if you tell her to?"
Starbuck left the table upon which he had been sitting, and moved over closer to his visitor. "Look here: you know she can"t love you, an"
don"t you want her because you think I"ve got a little money? Hah, ain"t that it?" And slowly the old man went over to the fire-place, took down his pipe, filled it and stood twisting a piece of paper. "When you git right down to it, Lije, ain"t that the reason--money?"
"Well," said Peters, shifting about, "if thar is money, I reckon I know how you come by some of it." He put his foot on a chair and pulled at his beard. "Yes, I reckon I know how you got a good deal of it.
Starbuck, I know an old feller about yo" size an" with gray ha"r that has made a good deal o" licker when the sun wan"t shinin". And that fetches me down to the p"int. I have applied fur appointment as Deputy United States Marshal. Do you know what that means--if I git it?"
Starbuck leaned over and thrust the piece of paper into the fire, turned about with it blazing in his hand and applied it to his pipe.
"Do you know what that means, Starbuck?"
The old man puffed at his pipe, drew the blazing paper through his hand, put out the fire, removed his pipe, studied a moment and said: "Yes. It means that I may have to kill you."
CHAPTER VI.
HADN"T LISTENED.
Not another word was spoken, and Peters went out, turning with a sullen look as he reached the road. For a moment he stood there and then skulked on away, met a dog in the road and kicked at him. When Margaret re-entered the room Jasper was walking up and down with his hands behind him. The old man began to tell a story: "Feller down in the bottoms owned a calf that had wool on him like a sheep; uster ter shear him every spring, and one time he--"
"Jasper, didn"t Peters say he was a comin" after you?"
"Margaret, is it possible that you"ve been listenin" to two men talkin"
business? Now, business is a sort of a sacred thing. A feller in the Bible says, "I"d like might"ly to go to yo" little dinner, but I"ve got to break a yoke of steers an" you must "skuze me." So, Margaret, you must never interfere with bisiness."
"But didn"t you say suthin" about that you might have to kill him?
Didn"t you?"
"Huh. We must have been talkin" about a sheep that broke his leg. When a sheep breaks his leg, you know, he"s about gone. Mighty hard thing to cure a sheep, makes no diffunce what"s the matter with him. Feller over near Smithfield had a sheep once that--"
"Didn"t he say he was a goin" to be app"inted deputy marshal?"
"Who, the sheep? Now, I don"t believe a sheep would make a very good deputy marshal. Strikes me that the wolf would be a trifle better."
"Jasper, I didn"t say a word about a sheep, and you know it."
"That"s a fact. I was the one that was a talkin" about a sheep. I know"d it was one of us, but I sorter forgot which one."
"Didn"t he say that you made a good deal o" licker when the sun wan"t shinin"? Didn"t he?"
"Margaret, ef you keep on, I"ll be fo"ced to believe you have been listenin"; an" I"d hate to think that. Thar ain"t nuthin" much wus than listenin" to other folks when they talk business. Now the fust woman on the earth listened when her husband he was a talkin" to an angel that was out in the garden a sunnin" hisse"f, and they called her a Eve drapper."
"Wall, you wan"t a talkin" to no angel, I"ll tell you that."
"Talkin" to one now, ain"t I?"
"Jasper, I didn"t come in here to be made fun of. I"d rather quarrel than to be made fun of."
"I don"t know but that"s a fact."
"Now why don"t you tell me all about it?"
"I don"t see the use in my repeatin" suthin" you"ve already hearn."
"Already hearn? I ain"t hearn a word, and you know it. But suppose he do git the app"intment--won"t it mean trouble?"
"Wall, I don"t know but it will. They do say that it"s a sorter troublesome job. Know"d a feller that was app"inted once, and he was shot between the eyes--puttiest shot you ever saw. Man said, "You couldn"t do that ag"in in ten years," and putty soon thar come along another deputy, an" blamed if he didn"t do it ag"in."
"I wish you wouldn"t pester me so--when I"ve already got trouble on my mind."
"What"s troublin" you, Margaret?"