"
Jed sniffed. "Um . . . ye-es," he drawled. "If I was more
worldly-minded I'd take up a collection, probably. Well, how's all
the United States Army; the gold lace part of it, I mean?"
His visitor laughed again. "Those that I know seem to be very well
and happy," she replied.
"Um . . . yes . . . sartin. They'd be happy, naturally. How could
they help it, under the circumstances?"
He began picking over an assortment of small hardware, varying his
musical accompaniment by whistling instead of singing. His visitor
looked at him rather oddly.
"Jed," she observed, "you're changed."
Changed? I ain't changed my clothes, if that's what you mean.
Course if I'd know I was goin' to have bankers' daughters with
gold--er--muskrats 'round their necks come to see me I'd have
dressed up."
"Oh, I don't mean your clothes. I mean you--yourself--you've
changed."
"I've changed! How, for mercy sakes?"
"Oh, lots of ways. You pay the ladies compliments now. You
wouldn't have done that a year ago."
"Eh? Pay compliments? I'm afraid you're mistaken. Your pa says
I'm so absent-minded and forgetful that I don't pay some of my
bills till the folks I owe 'em to make proclamations they're goin'
to sue me; and other bills I pay two or three times over."
"Don't try to escape by dodging the subject. You HAVE changed in
the last few months.
Pages:
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275