Prev | Current Page 40 | Next

Warner, Anne, 1869-1913

"Susan Clegg and Her Neighbors' Affairs"

He never seemed to consider
as how me or any one might perhaps enjoy to maybe make a remark from
time to time, 'n' even when he ain't talkin' he 's got that way o'
rubbin' his chin as makes it seem most impolite to bu'st in on. I didn't
care much, though, 'cause I had the curtains, 'n' besides I may in
confidence state as when I really felt to speak I sailed right in anyhow
'n' spoke what I wanted to. For I never was one to sit by 'n' have my
tail calmly trod on, as you 'n' a great many others knows to your cost,
Mrs. Lathrop, 'n' then, too, each time when I see as he was nigh to
tippin' into the cistern it was really nothin' but a joy to him to know
it in time to hitch away."
"Did--" said Mrs. Lathrop.
"In the first place," said Susan, "he asked me if I 'd mind his smokin'
his pipe, 'n' I told him I most certainly would, so that ended that
subjeck right up square at the beginnin'. Then he said he 'd been
married nigh on to forty years 'n' I told him to look out for the
cistern 'n' he hitched along a piece 'n' begin again. 'N' then he seemed
set a-goin' for keeps.
"Seems, Mrs. Lathrop, as he never had no family, but he says he was a
very handsome young fellow for all that. I looked pretty hard at him,
but he stuck to it 'n' I let it go. He went on to say as he growed up
anyhow 'n' drifted to Meadville when he was long about twenty-four, 'n'
went on to the Pearson farm. Oh, my, but he says that was a stony farm!
I tell you but he rubbed his chin with his hand a long while afore he
said all over again, 'but that _was_ a stony farm!' An' the
gophers!--Well, he says whatever the Recordin' Angel has got down he
bets he's skipped some o' them gophers.


Pages:
28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52