I called her the Old Scratch's
wife, didn't I," he added. "Well, I won't take it back."
Captain Sam laughed uproariously.
"You ain't very complimentary to Mr. Powless," he observed.
Jed rubbed his chin.
"I would be if I was referrin' to him," he drawled, "but I judge
he's her second husband."
CHAPTER VI
Of course Mrs. Armstrong still insisted that, knowing, as she did,
Mr. Winslow's prejudice against occupying the position of landlord,
she could not think of accepting his offer. "Of course I shall
not," she declared. "I am flattered to know that you consider
Barbara and me preferable to Mr. and Mrs. Powless; but even there
you may be mistaken, and, beside, why should you feel you must
endure the lesser evil. If I were in your place I shouldn't endure
any evil at all. I should keep the house closed and empty, just as
you have been doing."
Captain Sam shook his head impatiently. "If you was in his place,"
he observed, "you would have let it every year. Don't interfere
with him, Mrs. Armstrong, for the land sakes. He's showed the
first streak of common sense about that house that he's showed
since the Davidsons went out. Don't ask him to take it back."
And Jed stubbornly refused to take it back. "I've let it to you
for a month, ma'am," he insisted. "It's yours, furniture and all,
for a month.
Pages:
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115