Jimmy raked the yard, and Dannie
trimmed the gooseberries. Then he wheeled a barrel of swamp loam
for a flower bed by the cabin wall, and listened intently between
each shovelful he threw. He could not hear a sound. What was more,
he could not bear it. He went to Jimmy.
"Say, Jimmy," he said. "Dinna ye have to gae in fra a drink?"
"House or town?" inquired Jimmy sweetly.
"The house!" exploded Dannie. "I dinna hear a sound yet. Ye gae in
fra a drink, and tell Mary I want to know where she'd like the new
flooer bed she's been talking about."
Jimmy leaned the rake against a tree, and started.
"And Jimmy," said Dannie. "If she's quit crying, ask her what was
the matter. I want to know."
Jimmy vanished. Presently he passed Dannie where he worked.
"Come on," whispered Jimmy.
The bewildered Dannie followed. Jimmy passed the wood pile, and pig
pen, and slunk around behind the barn, where he leaned against the
logs and held his sides. Dannie stared at him.
"She says," wheezed Jimmy, "that she guesses ~she wanted to go and
hear the Bass splash, too!"
Dannie's mouth fell open, and then closed with a snap.
"Us fra the fool killer!" he said. "Ye dinna let her see ye laugh?"
"Let her see me laugh!" cried Jimmy." Let her see me laugh! I told
her she wasn't to go for a few days yet, because we were sawin' the
Kingfisher's stump up into a rustic sate for her, and we were goin'
to carry her out to it, and she was to sit there and sew, and
umpire the fishin', and whichiver bait she told the Bass to take,
that one of us would be gettin' it.
Pages:
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119