First he gave me a stick of candy."
Mr. Winslow leaned back in his chair.
"What?" he cried. "He gave you a stick of candy? GAVE it to you?"
"Yes. He said: 'Here, little girl, don't you like candy?' And
when I said I did he gave me a stick, the striped peppermint kind
it was. I'd have saved a bite for you, Uncle Jed, only I and the
rest ate it all before I remembered. I'm awfully sorry."
"That's all right. Striped candy don't agree with me very well,
anyway; I'm liable to swallow the stripes crossways, I guess
likely. But tell me, did Gabe look wild or out of his head when he
gave it to you?"
"Why, no. He just looked--oh--oh, you know, Uncle Jed--MYSter'ous--
that's how he looked, MYSter'ous."
"Hum! Well, I'm glad to know he wan't crazy. I've known him a
good many years and this is the first time I ever knew him to GIVE
anybody anything worth while. When I went to school with him he
gave me the measles, I remember, but even then they was only
imitation--the German kind. And now he's givin' away candy: Tut,
tut! No wonder he looked--what was it?--mysterious. . . . Hum. . . .
Well, he wanted somethin' for it, didn't he? What was it?"
"Why, he just wanted to know if I'd heard Uncle Charlie say
anything about a lot of money being gone up to the bank. He said
he had heard it was ever and ever so much--a hundred hundred
dollars--or a thousand dollars, or something--I don't precactly
remember, but it was a great, big lot.
Pages:
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341