Why, you saw him at the dinner table thisnoon; he
takes his meals along with us.
She gets worse andworse that way, Jemima does,
seems so. As your engagement to MyraFuller just happened. In her eyes he was a
picture of guilt discovered. Is itlikely I could see your father lose his place and
then take itmyself?
Theyrenice eyes and she can make em say a whole
lot.
She could not believethat he had been a traitor to
her father. I callatetwas writin Norma that riled up his brains so. The storm came,
and all the restof the trouble here, and afterwards you telegraphed. If any one
dropped such hintsabout me I should be glad if a friend told me of
them.
Ofcourse you wouldnt believe it, or understand, but
it is the truth. Capn Fuller, my cousin, was an easy-going plain man enough, buthis
wife and daughter are different.
She dontsay much, but anybody can see she realizes
what shes in for. Itsbrevity was entirely due to Calvins disinclination to
talk.
The landknows what hell do or how hell
behave.
I thought probably you knew as muchor more about it
than I did or I wouldnt have dropped a hint. The chilling sarcasm of the question
was like a plunge into icewater. Ive been, and am yet, a pretty good friend of
yours. I came because I thought father must need me.
He paused, giving his attention to the horse, which
had strayed offthe road. In her eyes he was a picture of guilt
discovered.
If there was ever any doubt about the mans being
crazy, declaredKellogg, there isnt any now. No, she said slowly, it is rather late
now,it seems to me. Totell her, rather than to write, seemed so much more
satisfactory. Oh, I dont know as I meant anything in particular.
I tried to soothe himdown best I could, but twas
considerble of a job.
I guess Homer is popular enough, so far as that
goes. Hammond seemed to be troubled about something. Gammon saw him standing there
and raised a warning finger. Said it seemed tohim to be callin to him, singin out,
Benoni Bartlett, come here!
It was, for Calvin Homer, a wretched afternoon and
evening.
Im going to wait a little spell longer, Cal, he
said, and letyou think it over. To Calvin he confided his fears concerning Benoni
Bartlettscondition.
Also, with them, came a heavysense of impending
trouble. The landknows what hell do or how hell behave. She did not reply, nor did
she appear to heed the surprisedresentment in his tone.
I began it theafternoon before the big
storm.
I think you believe it may have had somethingto do
with it, she said musingly.