FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104  
105   106   107   108   109   110   111   >>  
Planting himself on the hearth, back to the fire, he held up first one bare foot, then the other, to the blaze, and at last spoke in a confidential tone: "Philip lied to you this morning when he said there wa'n't nothing the matter with him. He knows what made him wash his years, and _I_ know." "What was it?" I inquired, drawing up the rocker. "He's a-courting, that's what's the matter." "Courting!" I exclaimed, incredulously. "Yes, courting, by grab! You mind Dilsey Warrick, that 'ere little tow-head come in atter Christmas, from over on Wace?" Yes, I remembered Dilsey,--a demure dove of a child, in blue home-spun dress and red yarn stockings, with long, fair hair hanging in two plaits, and the face of an austere little saint. She is at least three years older and a head taller than Hen, but it pleases him to speak of the sex in diminutives. "You know I pack water to the big house of a morning before breakfast," he continued; "well, Dilsey she sweeps off the front porch over yander then, and Philip _he_ goes round and mends the fence where the hogs breaks in of a night." I groaned an assent,--the neighborhood hogs are badly on the rampage, after our mustard-and turnip-greens, which show temptingly when the snow melts; and the fence is so frail it gives way constantly to their assaults. "Well," proceeded Hen, "that's as good a chanct as he wants, when thaint nobody much around but me. But I keep my eye on him,--I tip round the corner of the house right easy, and come up on 'em unexpected." "You are certainly mistaken about Philip," I said decidedly, "why, he despises girls, has no earthly use for them, in fact." "Dag gone _me_, he's got use enough for little Dilsey, by Ned! Gee, I never see the beat! He sot in a-courting her the day he got out from eech, and haint stopped to ketch his breath sence. Dad swinge my hide if that 'ere boy haint been nailing planks on that front fence with lee-tle-bitty fourpenny nails, so's the hogs'll root 'em off sure every night, and he'll git to work there and talk to Dilsey of a morning! I been keeping my eye peeled for him ever sence I seed him give her a' apple one day at recess,--I knowed then something had happened to him!" [Illustration: "'Dag gone _me_, he's got use enough for little Dilsey, by Ned!'"] I sat speechless. "But what made him wash his years," continued Hen, with lowered voice and another glance at the door; "one morning whilst Dilsey was
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104  
105   106   107   108   109   110   111   >>  



Top keywords:

Dilsey

 

morning

 

courting

 
Philip
 
continued
 

matter

 
earthly
 

despises

 

thaint

 

corner


decidedly
 

mistaken

 

confidential

 

unexpected

 

recess

 
knowed
 

keeping

 

peeled

 

glance

 
whilst

lowered

 
happened
 

Illustration

 

speechless

 

swinge

 

hearth

 

stopped

 
breath
 

nailing

 

Planting


fourpenny

 

planks

 

inquired

 

austere

 

plaits

 

hanging

 

pleases

 

diminutives

 

taller

 

stockings


Christmas

 

Courting

 

rocker

 

exclaimed

 

incredulously

 

Warrick

 
remembered
 

demure

 

drawing

 

greens