The Mystery of the LocksHowe, E. W. (Edgar Watson)
General
The Mystery of the Locks
Howe, E. W. (Edgar Watson)
City and town life -- Fiction; Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Mystery fiction; Nebraska -- Fiction
The stranger declined, but he noticed that Tug, from his position
against the wall, was walking toward the table with his eyes, with first
a long step and then a short one, and that at a sign from his friend he
walked over hurriedly with his legs, and went to work with a ravenous
appetite, putting pieces of meat and bread into his mouth large enough
to strangle him. This convinced the stranger that the lunch was really
prepared for Tug, and that there would have been disappointment had he
accepted the clerk's invitation.
"I don't suppose you care to know it," the clerk said, seating himself,
and apparently enjoying the manner in which Tug was disposing of the
cold meat, "but my name is Silas Davy. I am what is known as a good
fellow, and my father was a good fellow before me. He discovered this
town, or located it, or settled here first, or something of that kind,
and once had a great deal of property; but, being a good fellow, he
couldn't keep it. If you will give me your name, I will introduce you to
my friend, Mr. Tug Whittle."
"I don't care to know him," the guest replied, somewhat ill-humoredly,
his restless eyes indicating that his thoughts had just returned from a
journey out in the world somewhere, as they finally settled on Tug. "I
don't like his looks."
Tug looked up at this remark, sighted awhile at the guest with his right
eye, and, after swallowing his last mouthful, with an effort, pointed a
finger at him, to intimate that he was about to speak.
"Did you see any ragged or sore-eyed people get off the train to-night?"
he inquired, in a deep bass voice, still pointing with his bony finger,
and aiming along it with his little eye.
The guest acted as though he had a mind not to reply, but at last said
he was the only passenger for Davy's Bend.
"I was expecting more of my wife's kin," Tug said, with an angry snort,
taking down his finger to turn over the meat-bone, and using his eye to
look for a place not yet attacked. "Come to think about it, though, they
are not likely to arrive by rail; they will probably reach town on foot,
in the morning. They are too poor to ride. I wish they were too sick to
walk, damn them. Do you happen to know what the word ornery means?"
The guest acted as though he had a mind not to reply again, but finally
shook his head, after some hesitation.
"Well," the ugly fellow said, "if you stay here,--which I don't believe
you will, for you look too much like a good one to remain here
long,--I'll introduce you not only to the word but to the kin. After you
have seen my wife's relations, you'll fight when anybody calls you
ornery."
Finding a likely spot on the meat-bone at the conclusion of this speech,
Mr. Whittle went on with his eating, and was silent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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