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But Fanny's manoeuvre to turn the attention of her mother-in-law was of no avail, for nothing short of sudden death could interpose an effectual barrier between Mrs. Zelotes Brewster's tongue and mind set with the purpose of speech. "Was that the Tinny fellow?" she demanded. "Yes; I guess so. I didn't notice in particular," Fanny replied, in a low voice.
But he said enough to let Weiss er er Oh, why CAN'T I remember that Portygee's name? to let him know that he'd like to have him settle up what was left of his affairs, and to send word to us about about the boy. There! I hope you feel easier, Mother; I've got 'round to 'the boy' at last." "But why did he want word sent to us, Zelotes? He never wrote a line to us in his life."
Then she strained her to her hungry bosom, covering her with kisses, wetting her soft face and yellow hair with tears. "My baby, mother's darling, mother's baby!" she gasped out with great pants of satisfied love; but another pair of lean, wiry old arms stole around the child's slender body. "Give her to me!" demanded Mrs. Zelotes Brewster. "She is my son's child, and I have a right to her!
"He died like a man," he told the Reverend Mr. Kendall when the latter called. "He took his chance, knowin' what that meant " "He was glad to take it," interrupted the minister. "Proud and glad to take it." "Sartin. Why not? Wouldn't you or I have been glad to take ours, if we could?" "Well, Captain Snow, I am glad to find you so resigned." Captain Zelotes looked at him. "Resigned?" he repeated.
"What she had left over, you mean." "And said to tell you not to tire yourself out electioneering for me. That was good advice, too. Grandfather, don't you know that you shouldn't motor all the way to Trumet and back a morning like this? I'd rather much rather go without the votes than have you do such things." Captain Zelotes seated himself in his desk chair.
"There's that boy again," said Mrs. Zelotes. She made various remonstrances, and even Andrew, when the boy had passed his own home in his persistent dogging of them, called out to him, as did Fanny, but he was too far ahead to hear.
Captain Zelotes, looking keenly at him, seemed to guess his thoughts. "Of course," he said deliberately, but with a firmness which permitted no misunderstanding of his meaning, "of course you mustn't get it into your head for one minute that the boy is figgerin' on your daughter's bein' a rich girl. He hasn't given that a thought. You take my word for that, Mr. Fosdick.
I can SEE that money in the offin'. All this million or two that's comin' from poetry and such is out of sight in the fog. It may be there but humph! well, I KNOW where Z. Snow and Co. is located." Olive was not entirely placated. "I must say I think you're awful discouragin' to the poor boy, Zelotes," she said. Her husband put down his paper. "No, no, I ain't, Mother," he replied, earnestly.
Captain Zelotes' florid face was redder even than usual, for it was a cloudy day in October and blowing a gale. "Whew!" puffed the captain, pulling off his overcoat and striding over to warm his hands at the stove; "it's raw as January comin' over the tops of those Trumet hills, and blowin' hard enough to part your back hair, besides.
If Gertie Kendrick could have seen him then she would have fallen down and worshiped. His grandfather looked at him in silence for a moment, tapping his desk with the stump of a pencil. Albert, too, was silent; he was already thinking of another poem with which to dazzle the world, and his head was among the rosy clouds. "Sit down, Al," said Captain Zelotes shortly.
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