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Miss Eulie entered and said that Daddy Tuggar had managed to hobble over, and had set his heart upon seeing his old friend. "Certainly," said Mr. Walton; "he shall come in at once." "Caution him to stay but a few minutes," warned Annie. Miss Eulie helped the old man in, and he sat down by Mr. Walton's side, with a world of trouble on his quaint, wrinkled face.
"Yes, it became mine yesterday; or, rather, it remained yours." "Mr. Gregory," said Daddy Tuggar, his quaint face twitching strangely, "if anybody steals your apples, I'm afraid I'll swear at 'em, even yet." "No, you won't, Daddy," said he. "But I'm going to bring you over to spend an evening with us soon. Good-by!"
Though, if it had to be, I would kinder liked to have been the lion:" and the old man's eyes twinkled humorously, while Gregory laughed heartily. "Oh, Daddy Tuggar!" exclaimed Annie, "that is the most awful compliment I ever received. If you, with your spirit, were the only lion I had to deal with, I should never become a martyr.
The point at issue is, How can you regard Daddy Tuggar as a good man? As evidence against him I can affirm that I do not remember to have had such a good square cursing in my life, and I have received several." This last expression caused Miss Eulie to open her eyes at him.
"True friends do not steal from us," she replied, laughing. "I don't know whether it was safe to let you read me to sleep?" "It's not wrong to be tempted, is it? One can't help that. As Mr. Tuggar says, I might have the 'sperit to do it, and yet remain quietly in my chair, as I have." "You make an admission in your explanation. Well, it was queer," she added, absently.
He is capable of sincere friendship, and that is more than you can say of a great many." "It is indeed," said Gregory, with bitter emphasis. "I should be willing to take my chances with Daddy Tuggar in this or any other world." "You had better not," she answered, now thoroughly in earnest. "Why so?" "I should think memories of this place would make my meaning clear," she replied, gently.
"I should 'rile' you, too, if I were with you long, for I get 'riled' myself sometimes." "Do you, now?" asked Mr. Tuggar, looking at her admiringly. "Well, I'm mighty glad to hear it." "O Daddy! glad to hear that I do wrong?" "Can't help it, Miss Annie. I kinder like to know you're a little bit of a sinner. 'Tain't often I meet with a sinner, and I kind o' like 'em.
And now I've made a clean breast of it, I hope you'll kinder smooth matters over with Miss Eulie; and I hope you, sir, will just think of what I said as spoken to a stranger and not a friend of the family." "Give me your hand, Mr. Tuggar. I hope we shall be the best of friends.
Tuggar, you are the man of all others to plead my cause." "Now look here, young gentleman, you must do yer own pleadin'. It would be a 'sinful waste of time' though, as my wife would say eh, Miss Annie? I never had no luck at pleadin' but once, and that was the worst luck of all."
Annie's face might well suggest "red posies" during the last remarks, and its expression was divided between a frown and a laugh. "But I want you to understand," continued Daddy Tuggar, straightening himself up with dignity, and addressing Gregory, "that I'm not a mean cuss. All who know me know I'm a well-meanin' man. I try to do as I'd be done by.
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