"And yet," said Uncle Jim, with a deep breath, "gosh! I was
frighted--jest for a minit! I thought, mebbe, you HAD made a big
strike--when I got your first letter--and I made up my mind what I'd
do! And then I remembered you was jest that kind of an open sluice that
couldn't keep anythin' to yourself, and you'd have been sure to have
yelled it out to ME the first thing. So I waited. And I found you out,
you old sinner!" He reached forward and dug Uncle Billy in the ribs.
"What WOULD you hev done?" said Uncle Billy, after an hysterical
collapse.
Uncle Jim's face grew grave again. "I'd hev--I'd--hev cl'ared out! Out
er 'Frisco! out er Californy! out er Ameriky! I couldn't have stud it!
Don't think I would hev begrudged ye yer luck! No man would have been
gladder than me." He leaned forward again, and laid his hand caressingly
upon his partner's arm--"Don't think I'd hev wanted to take a penny of
it--but I--thar! I COULDN'T hev stood up under it! To hev had YOU, you
that I left behind, comin' down here rollin' in wealth and new partners
and friends, and arrive upon me--and this shanty--and"--he threw towards
the corner of the room a terrible gesture, none the less terrible
that it was illogical and inconsequent to all that had gone
before--"and--and--THAT BROOM!"
There was a dead silence in the room.
Pages:
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90