J) ccembu ,
19 20
T H I-: L \ ~DSWO~ l \:-.;
Something that Beg ins \\Jth " T " -(C t
d
"gc
""74·)
.
ott
~ruu
f rom
c y ~< "
I agr~· · d • tr~ mg
.
P ...
..
"•
to back mor•' rap•dh
li e ca mf' t.,h ... nc.xt •\t'ning. He brought with htm "'thou t ntt~;wting hi.., nttrntion to Ill\ m,,,,. uH"
a mouth org an. 11<: knew thr('c• pie<< ....
•· \4"..,, m . .~k,. it to-morro\\ . "
·
'
1 1
l c.m.'t tf'll , i~t<·lllg~"ntl), ju ... t wh 1t (hd h.lp(>(n ne:\t .
in th(• Straw, ' ' "C.tood-bv, Littl<' Girl..,· ( . . dubrn't t
r
I{(> <,fnll~"
• g
d -;tarh.• d to,.., an I nw .In(! tllPO
a n u . I " " 1.., 1 ,. 11' te G ray ,,
d ' •00 - J ~ •
· ·~ t1 ;un, ''"
·
"".
to wa
csrrilw t t hat
I r .- t t h' IS gr~>n t paw-like> h<·ad on Ill\ .~rm, ' .md thHe
(•V(.'ntng.
"'o bod y cou 1 d "' 'I . hf' ry
noi~
tcr ribl1•, b~t h<· d id work ., 0 h.trd wit h his ~r~~ at~~ wa~ o;onH thing •tbout " • O\'." Jnd ,, " ki-.:.,'' nnd t lwn
lf'gs ~nd ht ron·hc Id ! And I pullc d awa} and r.tn out into the g,trd• 11 :tnd
he thou g ht h(' W<1 s f' ntcrt.umn(" us, lx·ing agn ~>ab!<"
grab b" bC'~ n funny l t wasn't
I t was sa:l 1
. )• 0 \ }d '>cout," hi' ga'>pt'u, •· what i-. it? \\'hat "'
Quit<' r-;ad
\11 thl' whit<> 1 'iat .tnd ~vat(hcd :1nd j
t
our fr~cklt., .trf' all -.tkking out ! "
h
c,o h.tmed for him
It j., harrov.iniY
·~ ;-.:,·arh ll('ighl>our," l managf'd, · · in th.•rf'
being as haml'd .ror folk-, who arl' not ,~-;h,am('d f~; Qu I'' mad H f' didn't, but IH - ' '
thNn c;dv(•S. . D tstr:-c..mg
D~>pr"""ing. 1 want(•d
" I ·~t fix him ," said P at, ... ·i1in~ th,.. hoe and
to do . ~m<>th mg k JOd fol hun, to makf' up to him mar(.hlng off bf'fon• I could "top him .
f
h
If
I
t
h
h fi
\h .t"g' wrinkl(•d right up uoc\1•r m,., .• nd 1 -.at
or Jm'i<' ·
g ()
out t r C' a mg~i-.h .tnd fix,·d down 10 the radi"h txd and li-.t('n('(i to m\ o\\n tf'f•th
-;om<' fudg<'.
11(' wouldn't e:-.t it.
S • .id it ,..,,.,
.. wimm in ' c; tru<"k ..
( hutt• r, until all or mv famih l f'turnr·d, ·h,wlc•-..., ,tnrl
' od
vf'ry stern.
But t h f> grent ( •
of mu ... 11 must l>f' a pitiful God
b<.'causf' 1ate tha t r vl'ninK, m•.trh nl'ighhour 'c, mouth
" P h) I.''. ht• nr~·u .. ~d. ·· hf' -,a).., that ~ou promt ... f'd
uq.{itll broke w1th a sqtt~'ak , 1 nd a cau<;(• the n{'~t tim• hP c 1 mc
" Mad •• I groaned, " I told )OU! Quitf' mad."
he• brought with him a checker board.
H f' had
" \V('ll, T c;hould ~a" h<" ;.,, •· .tt~rN·d all nf m\
I'Vid.-.ntly docid(;d that W (' \\f'rf' thf' dulle.;t of folk-., f.umJy, " hf' is JU->t 0.\tur,ll\}' hopping m:td . fl (•
.1nd that, if the re wac; to bt- a ny c.;ort of f'nt~'rt.t in- o;avs h(' ha., no uv- fot ... uch CO\ n(· ~" and thnt if h ..
m<'nt , h e would h:tV<' to furni-,h it.
hndn 't thought You W!'rP too
ibl" to act likl' that
W he n he had gon<' all of my f • .mtil} th.rt'\V him .... lf ht 'd n-cwr c..tt plar(•, clOd
in the hammock, r<.~th f'r a-; I had thrown m,..,df on that for h df a <-ent ht''d back out of it now, onh hr
the occasion o f nearlv ne i g h bour·~ fira">t n J>0"5ibilit' of gl'lti'n~ thing:. stratght.
h<' h a d com fortro mf' , but 1t -;N>m·d not\\·,(' . " 1 fnf'd. I ~iz~>d it and, \('n· slowh. T wa-; · •bl~ to
don't b elieve a nything is thf' matter with f'Vcr} - u nr.tvel the tnPV> .md get "'' thoughb woond ne.1tl\'
thi ng,'' I said, " but I do b<>lieve that something i" o n n spool. T he\ C'311l<" out t', do\\ n into th r1di h ~.
f.t mily.
.tnrl ga<;ped and gurgled .
• 1 h a ve no no tion . "
" D on't do that \\<3V, " -.aid all or nn fnmih.
And I didn 't have <.Ill\ notion , and I k('pt on
I C"ould not answ<>r him .
not having any not~on , u nttl la-,t nigh t when n"" you kind'a ··•.H"
the garde n-handed me a grt~.lt bu nch of clum...v 111,
You act-likt> lik~ a fit-or -,omPthing. \ nrl
' ' M.l ' am. I havt' C'atll( t ' v,l\J ' n· ,mashing the rad .... hi'~. \ nd thf'n-matt 'in!{
'-now balls a nd said
proffer t he h olv band-. of matr imom "
ll!'.u ly n~'•ghbour-"
1 was dull .
I didn ' t u ndC'rstand , not an\ · • I
1 ~at up. " Dear," 1 qui, " 1t j, all a mi .. tak~'
th ought he must mean a book, or a nPW mu ... lul'
ins trumen t •• ~o : " Tha nk you," 1 said , and look<>d netgh bc.ur so, I think . we'll ha\t' I()- lw a littl~ Y nu
.1bout for 1t.
h
.
!!o into rv>rch..('difi<:C' and tf,11 him thnt 1 am a W(' 1k.·
1
" \ Vll <'n , ' ..,..
"""• ' t d n" " ar t, • net'ghbou r, " " ou d tt come ., h '"t~rkat t· wom~n. Tf'lt htm 1 h aw fp trful fitc; ' f
o ff ? .,
0 ('((''-o"\r\" .
r ('n him I h.we thoug-ht it OV('r .md
" Only," I said. "off-of what?"
ilh • h atf' ful, half-
.\11 of nl\ f,unilv wn<; gont' ·• r.tth<•r long timf'.
insinuatin g s m ile.
\\'h<'n hi' finnlh- camf' ba\ k " Wh,,t did ht• s.•~ ? "
1 began to b ack towards the door.
For "?mt
1 q w ... tionro ·
.
.
t itnc I h a d ~n mildly <;uspi<:ious that nearly ne&gh·
" 1 think " a 1 h w••rt!d r~t. wtth a wt·lllkl,. of worn
bour w ns losing h is wit s.
h'
.
" 0
tn h i-. noc.e', ·• 1 think h# pt.l~~"d, but l 'm n"slv t ts t ime,
He just naturallv did thank \>()!\ for .m .twful lot
<'.tll to
coy.' Y ou
me is' past .,hill) -<;h al\\'. of thi n~.,, P h'\ "
)\a m e th<" d a te ...
. d
' • SuC'h a-.? " l prompt -d.
1 h a d he ard th at i t was wi.,<' to humour m a
" Such a-; d••lh'<•ring h im from wom('n {Qik.;, ,1nd 1
p('()p}e. ••
c;econd o f Mav.'' I said, and kPpt on thmk he tha nk<·d God for gi..ing \Ou fit..,, hut .I 'm not
backing.
, h , t d y ,
... urt• .tbout that ; but hf' thank~d <;od {or letttng h1m
" Bu t " s a id nearl) n l'ighbou r, ' t a t s o- a ·
kno w bcfort• it "''' " too l.tt<', and thcn-wf'}l. 1 for-
" Yes',' I I agr~d, " that jc; the date." ,
.
er et the r~t, but hf• told m<' to g-o to thl' d('\ tl lnd ht>
" Better m a ke 1t to-morrer," said ncarh ne,gh- ~wnt horn('. , ,
-.cn . .
be
and
The
hou r.
....g ..
.
·'
•