The Starbucks Part 19

"All right. Good-day."

When he was gone the old man resumed his walk, musing: "Don't want to see nuthin' red on the ground."

He took out his knife, put his foot on a chair, and began to cut his shoe-strings. As he was cutting the string from the other shoe his wife, peeping round at him, inquired:

"Whut you do that fur?"

"I don't want to die with them on if I kin help it." And shutting his knife with a snap he resumed his walk up and down the room. "And I am a fixin' 'em so I kin kick 'em off."

"For mercy sake, Jasper, don't talk thatter way."

His sense of humor came back to him. "Oh, I may not have to kick 'em off. It wouldn't surprise me if somebody else done the kickin'. But it's better to be prepared. The good Book says--"

"Oh, now, the good Book don't say no sich of a thing, and you know it.

What makes you allus want to fetch in the good Book? Don't you know it say, 'Thou shan't kill?' Don't you?"

"Yes, but I ain't found whar it say, 'Thou shall let a feller kill you.'"

"Oh, there ought to be some way a smoothin' of it over."

"Yes, Margaret, a smoothin' of it over an' a pattin' it down with a shovel."

"Oh, fur goodness sake, don't talk thatter way. It distresses me so."

"Why, jest a while ago you was fretted because I didn't treat it serious. Wush you'd sorter draw off in writin' what you want me to do."

"Don't talk thatter way. I am so anxious, an' 'specially at this time when--"

"When what?"

"When these folks air here--when that young feller is a payin' so much attention to Lou."

"Don't worry about her, Margaret. If she has to take bitter medicine, she'll do it an' smack her mouth."

"But, Jasper, he's the son of a United States Jedge."

"Wall, but thar ain't no objection to that, is there?"

"Oh, how tormentin' a man kin be when he tries."

"Oh, how tormentin' a woman kin be when she don't try."

"Did anybody ever hear the like? Jasper, don't you see how much Lou is a thinkin' of him? Air you so blind that you can't see that? An' you know that the app'intment of Peters mout spile it all."

The old man shrugged. "Yes, mout spile it all fur Peters. Let me tell you suthin'. I ain't a stairrin' round to see how much one pusson thinks of another, an' I don't know how much she keers fur that young feller, but I do know that she is worthy of any man that ever trod shoe luther.

We give her all the freedom a girl wants, an' that man ain't a livin'

that could turn that freedom into shame. If she falls in love with him, she will love him like a Starbuck--with all her soul. An' if he don't love her, she'll be silent like a Starbuck. One day when we was a goin'

down the creek in canoe you saw a fish come up an' strike at the paddle.

Margaret, that was a Starbuck among fish."

There came a loud cry of "halloa," and Jasper went to the window.

"h.e.l.loa yo'se'f."

"My wagon's stalled down here," a man shouted, "and I'd like for you to fetch your steers and give me a lift up the hill."

"What air you loaded with?"

"Hoop poles."

"All right, I'll send a n.i.g.g.e.r down an'--" Just then he caught sight of Kintchin. "Here, you scoundrel, I thought I told you to haul a load of corn over to Spencer's."

The negro came up to the window. "Yas, suh, but you didn't tell me. I heard you tell dat man Laz, but he sich a liar you kain't blebe nuthin'

dat's said ter him."

Jasper turned away to laugh and Kintchin came round into the house.

"But you heard me tell him, you scoundrel," said the old man.

"Yas, suh, I wuz er standin' dar at de cornder o' de house at de time, an' I yered you tell him, an' I would er blebed it, ez I tell you, but dat man is sich er monst'us twister o' de fack dat nuthin' said ter him soun's like de truf. I blebed it when you told him, but de minit he told me it sounded like er lie."

"Kintchin, that's putty good sense, anyhow."

"Yas, suh, an' ain't all dat sense wuth er quarter?"

Jasper began to grabble into his pocket, when Margaret spoke up: "Jasper, don't give that n.i.g.g.e.r no money. He won't do a thing I tell him to."

Starbuck gave him a piece of silver, and with a look of deep injury the darkey turned to Margaret. "Now, Miss Mar'get, whut you all time come er flatter me datter way fur? You knows I's allus a braikin' my naik fur you. I don't kere ef you is er 'oman, you's got er soul ter save, an'

you oughter be a lookin' out fur it."

He ambled slowly toward the door, muttering as he went, and Jasper's sharp command did not serve to enliven him overmuch.

"Come, move on a little faster, and yoke up the steers and haul that man's wagon up the hill. Never saw as slow a n.i.g.g.e.r in my life. Come on, and I'll go with you."

He hastened out, pa.s.sing Kintchin and commanding him to come on.

Margaret busied herself with picking up sc.r.a.ps of paper, among them doubtless being an account of what the captain did, and threw them out into the yard. Standing at the door, and glancing down the road, she spied Mrs. Mayfield, Jim, Tom and Lou coming from a stroll among the hills. Back into the house she ran, s.n.a.t.c.hed down a turkey-wing fan from a nail in the wall, dusted a rocking-chair, smoothed herself, and was rocking placidly as any lady of leisure when the hill-side romancers entered the room.

CHAPTER XII.

DIDN'T DO ANYTHING HEROIC.

During all the morning Jim had been silent. Standing on a purple k.n.o.b, arms folded, gazing far away toward the rugged scenes of his life's work, he had reminded the world-woman of some discoverer, a Cortez viewing the Pacific; and when to break the spell of his att.i.tude she asked him why he gazed so fixedly, he replied: "I am looking away off yander at the duty I am neglecting, ma'm."

"Why, you couldn't neglect a duty, Mr. Reverend."