第19章

If Cap'n Lote knew anybody'd smoked a cigarette in here I don't know's he wouldn't kill 'em.Who done it?"Albert shivered.The girl with the dark blue eyes flashed a quick glance at him."I think perhaps someone went by the window when it was open just now," she suggested."Perhaps they were smoking and the smoke blew in.""Eh? Well, maybe so.Must have been a mighty rank cigarette to smell up the whole premises like this just goin' past a window.

Whew! Gosh! no wonder they say them things are rank pison.I'd sooner smoke skunk-cabbage myself; 'twouldn't smell no worse and 'twould be a dum sight safer.Whew!...Well, Helen, there's about the kind of hook I cal'late you need.Fifteen cents 'll let you out on that.Cheap enough for half the money, eh? Give my respects to your pa, will ye.Tell him that sermon he preached last Sunday was fine, but I'd like it better if he'd laid it on to the Univer'lists a little harder.Folks that don't believe in hell don't deserve no consideration, 'cordin' to my notion.So long, Helen...Oh say," he added, as an afterthought, "I guess you and Albert ain't been introduced, have ye? Albert, this is Helen Kendall, she's our Orthodox minister's daughter.Helen, this young feller is Albert--er--er-- Consarn it, I've asked Cap'n Lote that name a dozen times if I have once! What is it, anyway?""Speranza," replied the owner of the name.

"That's it, Sperandy.This is Albert Sperandy, Cap'n Lote's grandson."Albert and Miss Kendall shook hands.

"Thanks," said the former, gratefully and significantly.

The young lady smiled.

"Oh, you're welcome," she said.I knew who you were all the time--or I guessed who you must be.Cap'n Snow told me you were coming."She went out.Issachar, staring after her, chuckled admiringly.

"Smartest girl in THIS town," he observed, with emphasis."Head of her class up to high school and only sixteen and three-quarters at that."Captain Zelotes came bustling in a few minutes later.He went to his desk, paying little attention to his grandson.The latter loitered idly up and down the office and hardware shop, watching Issachar wait on customers or rush shouting into the yard to attend to the wants of others there.Plainly this was Issachar's busy day.

"Crimus!" he exclaimed, returning from one such excursion and mopping his forehead."This doin' two men's work ain't no fun.

Every time Labe goes on a time seem's if trade was brisker'n it's been for a month.Seems as if all creation and part of East Harniss had been hangin' back waitin' till he had a shade on 'fore they come to trade.Makes a feller feel like votin' the Prohibition ticket.I WOULD vote it, by crimustee, if I thought 'twould do any good.'Twouldn't though; Labe would take to drinkin' bay rum or Florida water or somethin', same as Hoppy Rogers done when he was alive.Jim Young says he went into Hoppy's barber-shop once and there was Hoppy with a bottle of a new kind of hair-tonic in his hand.'Drummer that was here left it for a sample,' says Hoppy.'Wanted me to try it and, if I liked it, he cal'lated maybe I'd buy some.I don't think I shall, though,' he says; 'don't taste right to me.' Yes, sir, Jim Young swears that's true.Wan't enough snake-killer in that hair tonic to suit Hoppy.

I-- Yes, Cap'n Lote, what is it? Want me, do ye?"But the captain did not, as it happened, want Mr.Price at that time.It was Albert whose name he had called.The boy went into the office and his grandfather rose and shut the door.

"Sit down, Al," he said, motioning toward a chair.When his grandson had seated himself Captain Zelotes tilted back his own desk chair upon its springs and looked at him.

"Well, son," he said, after a moment, "what do you think of it?""Think of it? I don't know exactly what--""Of the place here.Shop, yards, the whole business.Z.Snow and Company--what do you think of it?"Privately Albert was inclined to classify the entire outfit as one-horse and countrified, but he deemed it wiser not to express this opinion.So he compromised and replied that it "seemed to be all right."His grandfather nodded."Thanks," he observed, dryly."Glad you find it that way.Well, then, changin' the subject for a minute or two, what do you think about yourself?""About myself? About me? I don't understand?""No, I don't suppose you do.That's what I got you over here this mornin' for, so as we could understand--you and me.Al, have you given any thought to what you're goin' to do from this on? How you're goin' to live?"Albert looked at him uncomprehendingly.

"How I'm going to live?" he repeated."Why--why, I thought--Isupposed I was going to live with you--with you and Grandmother.""Um-hm, I see."

"I just kind of took that for granted, I guess.You sent for me to come here.You took me away from school, you know.""Yes, so I did.You know why I took you from school?""No, I--I guess I DON'T, exactly.I thought--I supposed it was because you didn't want me to go there any more.""'Twasn't that.I don't know whether I would have wanted you to go there or not if things had been different.From what I hear it was a pretty extravagant place, and lookin' at it from the outside without knowin' too much about it, I should say it was liable to put a lot of foolish and expensive notions into a boy's head.Imay be wrong, of course; I have been wrong at least a few times in my life."It was evident that he considered the chances of his being wrong in this instance very remote.His tone again aroused in the youth the feeling of obstinacy, of rebellion, of desire to take the other side.