Right after that the listening Captain heard the sound of tearing
paper. A moment later, Jeanne was in the doorway--a loaf of bread in one
hand, a basket of peaches in the other. Her face was tear-stained, but
her eyes were brave. She even smiled a little, twisty smile--a smile
that all but upset Old Captain.
"There's some rolls, too," she said, in rather a shaky voice. "Take
these and I'll bring you the tablecloth. After this, I'm going to be the
supper cook. I planned it all out this morning."
Jeanne, brave little soul that she was, was back among the everyday
things of life. The greatly relieved Captain beamed at the shining white
tablecloth and the cheap, plated silver. He picked up one of the new
knives and viewed it admiringly.
"I ain't et with a shiny knife like this since I was keepin' bachelor's
hall," said he. "I'll just admire eatin' fried potatoes with this here
knife."
The Captain was very sociable that evening. He had to see the contents
of all the parcels, and expressed great admiration for the checked
gingham that was to be made into a big apron. Once, he disappeared to
rummage about in the dark, further end of the long car. Presently he
returned with a rusty tin box.
"This here," said he, "is my bank."
He opened it. It was filled with money.
"You see," said he, "when you earns more than you spends, the stuff
piles up. Now here's a nice empty can. We'll set it, inconspicuous-like,
in this here corner of the cupboard. Any time you wants any money for
anything--clothes or food or anything at all--you look in this can.
There'll be some thar. You see, you're _my_ little girl, just now. The
rest'll be put away safe--you can forgit about _that_. Was that there a
yawn? Gettin' sleepy, are you? Well, well, where's the lantern?"
At the door of the Duval shack, Jeanne stumbled over something--a large
basket with the cover fastened down tight. Jeanne carried it inside and
lifted the cover. It contained four small kittens and a bottle of milk.
A card hung from the neck of the bottle. On it was printed:
"We got no Mother. From BARNEY."
"Drat him," said the Captain, "them kittens'll keep you awake."
"Not if I feed them," returned Jeanne. "Of course I shall still love
Bayard Taylor, but after all, kittens are a lot more cuddle-y than
snails. I'm so glad Barney thought of them. They're _dear_--such a
pretty silvery gray with white under their chins. I do hope they'll find
me a nice mother."
By the time the kittens were fed and asleep, Jeanne, who had certainly
spent an exhausting day, was no longer able to keep her eyes open.
CHAPTER XXII
ROGER'S RAZOR
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account