“I'll go and ask Mrs. Carey about your courtship. I want her help on
this, anyway. I can pick up Miss Jameson and bring her here if any man
can, but she is nursing a sick woman who depends solely on her for care.
She is above average size, and she has a very decided mind of her own.
I don't think you would use force and do what you think best for her, if
you were in my place. You would wait until you understood the situation
better, and knew that what you did was for the best, ultimately.”
“I don't know whether I would or not. One thing is sure: I'm mighty glad
you have found her. May I tell my wife?”
“Please do! And ask her if I may depend on her if I need a woman's help.
Now I'll call off the valiant police and go home and take a good, sound
sleep. Haven't had many since I first saw her.”
So Betsy trotted down the valley, up the embankment, crossed the
railroad, over the levee across Singing Water, and up the hill to the
cabin. As they passed it, the Harvester jumped from the wagon, tossed
the hitching strap to Belshazzar, and entered. He walked straight to her
door, unlocked it, and uncovering, went inside. Softly he passed from
piece to piece of the furniture he had made for her, and then surveyed
the walls and floor.
“It isn't half good enough,” he said, “but it will have to answer until
I can do better. Surely she will know I tried and care for that, anyway.
I wonder how long it will take me to get her here. Oh, if I only could
know she was comfortable and happy! Happy! She doesn't appear as if she
ever had heard that word. Well this will be a good place to teach her.
I've always enjoyed myself here. I'm going to have faith that I can win
her and make her happy also. When I go to the stable to do my work for
the night if I could know she was in this cabin and glad of it, and if
I could hear her down here singing like a happy care-free girl, I'd
scarcely be able to endure the joy of it.”
CHAPTER IX. THE HARVESTER GOES COURTING
“She is on Henry Jameson's farm, four miles west of Onabasha,” said the
Harvester, as he opened his eyes next morning, and laid a caressing hand
on Belshazzar's head. “At two o'clock we are going to see her, and we
are going to prolong the visit to the ultimate limit, so we should make
things count here before we start.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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