Short stories, American; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
All this time his eyes had gone past Charley and were on me. My
mother noticed it, and now he hurriedly whispered “Good-bye,” and
as Charley was taken down he motioned to have me lifted up into his
place. Then in a whispering voice he said to my mother, “You think--it
strange--eh, well!--it’s because she is--so wonderfully like--my
child--my only one--my Annie. It’s marvelous--the likeness. It’s not
that they both--have that same--surprising length of hair--the same
wide, gray-blue eyes--the same tricks--of manner and movement--even to
that habit of standing--with hands behind the back--gently pulling at
the two great braids. But it’s the voice. I’ve been ready--to swear
at times--that my wife--had broken her vow--and had brought--Annie
to see me. And though I starve--for the sight of her--until at times
I’m almost mad--I’d kill my wife--if she brought--the child here--to
know my shame. And this little one--is so like her--so like and yet so
different--for Annie loves me--while this child----”
I felt my face flame with hot blood, for my mother did not know I had
been told of the murder, and I was frightened, but he went on gently,
“Ah, well, there is no reason why this one should--love me--a stranger.”
The nurse exclaimed, “Too much talk.”
Mother moved toward the door, but Charley broke from her and once more
climbed up on the bed. “I have dess one ’ticular thing to say, dess
one!” he pleaded, and he stooped to whisper to the sick man, “Dear,
dear Mr. No. 3--try to get well--and--and--I know you don’t like the
preacher man, but I know my own night ‘prays’ my ownse’f, and when I
say ‘my soul to keep’ I’ll say ‘your soul to keep,’ too, every time!”
And Clarks groaned, “For God’s sake take him away!” and Goldy-locks
put his clean, sweet, little pink lips lovingly to those sin-stained,
fever-parched ones and said “Good-bye, good-bye!” and slid down and ran
and hid his tears in the folds of my mother’s dress.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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