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The major turned quickly; but Thankful's eyes were gazing thoughtfully forward, and scarcely glanced at him. "I would prefer," she said timidly and hesitatingly, "that this interview should not take place under the roof where where where my father lives. Half-way down the meadow there is a barn, and before it a broken part of the wall, fronting on a sycamore-tree. HE will know where it is.
And, after an argument violent on his part and determined on Thankful's he had left South Middleboro and gone somewhere. From that somewhere he had never returned. "Yes," mused Mrs. Barnes, "those were the last words he said to me." "What did you say to him?" asked Emily, drowsily. She had heard the story often enough, but she asked the question as an aid to keeping awake. "Hey? What did I say?
Miss Thankful's long arm went up, and, despite Miss Charity's complaint that it was too badly cracked to handle, it was soon down and placed in my hands. I muttered my thanks, gave utterance to sundry outbursts of enthusiasm, then with a sudden stopping of my heart-beats, I lifted the cover and "Let me set it down," I gasped, hurriedly replacing the cover. I was really afraid I should drop it.
Thankful's dread of that little room had entirely disappeared. She was now thoroughly convinced that her imagination and the storm were responsible for the "spooks." John Kendrick continued to sleep and eat at the new boarding-house. He was a general favorite there, although rather silent and disinclined to take an active part in the conversation at table.
Er er Laviny, she's gone over to Thankful Payne's. She heard that Thankful's cousin up to Middleboro had died passed away, I mean and she thought she'd run over and find out if Thankful was willed anything. She said she'd be back pretty soon." "Very well. Then, as she won't be gone long, perhaps I'll come in and wait."
I'm goin' off with a gang to take up the last of my fish weirs and I thought maybe the little shaver'd like to go along. I need help in bossin' the fo'mast hands, you see, and he's some consider'ble of a driver, that second mate is. Yes sir-ee! You ought to hear him order 'em to get up anchor. Ho! ho! I Hey? Why why, what's the matter?" Thankful's face was still pale and she was trembling.
The next opened into a large room, evidently the spare bedroom. It was empty. So was the next and the next and the next. No furniture of any kind. Thankful's hope of finding a quilt or a wornout blanket, anything which would do to cover her sleeping and shivering relative, grew fainter with the opening of each door. There were an astonishing number of rooms and closets.
Possibly the hurried glimpse I had got of Miss Thankful's countenance a little while before, in the momentary visit she paid to the attic window at which I had been accustomed to see either her or her sister constantly sit, inspired me with my present interest in this old and wearing trouble of theirs and the condition into which it had thrown their minds.
For the first time Thankful's troubles overcame her courage and self-restraint. She put her handkerchief to her eyes. The captain was greatly upset. He jammed his hands into his pockets, took them out again, reached for his own handkerchief, blew his nose violently, and began pacing up and down the room. Suddenly he seemed to have made up his mind. "Mrs. Barnes," he said, "I I "
Now, when you do come, you want money, you said that, too." "Well, what of it?" "Nothin' of it, 'special. Only when a party comes to me and commences by sayin' he or she's a relation I know what's comin' next. Relations! Humph! My relations never done much for me." Thankful's fingers twitched. "'Cordin' to all accounts you never done much for them, either," she declared.
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