[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
to remember them, half the time, somehow. Yes, she said, say she
has run over for to ask the Apthorps to be sure and come to the
auction and buy this house, because she allowed her uncle Peter
would ruther they had it than anybody else; and she's going to stick
to them till they say they'll come, and then, if she ain't too tired,
she's coming home; and if she is, she'll be home in the morning
anyway. She said, don't say nothing about the Proctors, but only
about the Apthorps- which'll be perfectly true, because she is going
there to speak about their buying the house; I know it, because she
187
told me so, herself."
"All right," they said, and cleared out to lay for their uncles, and
give them the love and the kisses, and tell them the message.
Everything was all right now. The girls wouldn't say nothing
because they wanted to go to England; and the king and the duke
would ruther Mary Jane was off working for the auction than
around in reach of Doctor Robinson. I felt very good; I judged I
had done it pretty neat- I reckoned Tom Sawyer couldn't a done it
no neater himself. Of course he would a throwed more style into it,
but I can't do that very handy, not being brung up to it.
Well, they held the auction in the public square, along towards
the end of the afternoon, and it strung along, and strung along, and
the old man he was on hand and looking his level piousest, up
there longside of the auctioneer, and chipping in a little Scripture,
now and then, or a little goody-goody saying, of some kind, and
the duke he was around goo-gooing for sympathy all he knowed
how, and just spreading himself generly.
But by-and-by the thing dragged through, and everything was
sold. Everything but a little old trifling lot in the graveyard. So
they'd got to work that off- I never see such a girafft as the king
was for wanting to swallow everything. Well, whilst they was at it,
a steamboat landed, and in about two minutes up comes a crowd a
whooping and yelling and laughing and carrying on, and singing
out:
"Here's your opposition line! here's your two sets o' heirs to old
Peter Wilks- and you pays your money and you takes your
choice!"
188
Chapter Twenty-Nine
They was fetching a very nice looking old gentleman along, and
a nice looking younger one, with his right arm in a sling. And my
souls, how the people yelled, and laughed, and kept it up. But I
didn't see no joke about it, and I judged it would strain the duke
and the king some to see any. I reckoned they'd turn pale. But no,
nary a pale did they turn. The duke he never let on he suspicioned
what was up, but just went a goo-gooing around, happy and
satisfied, like a jug that's googling out buttermilk; and as for the
king, he just gazed and gazed down sorrowful on them newcomers
like it give him the stomach-ache in his very heart to think there
could be such frauds and rascals in the world. Oh, he done it
admirable. Lots of the principal people gethered around the king,
to let him see they was on his side. That old gentleman that had
just come looked all puzzled to death. Pretty soon he begun to
speak, and I see, straight off, he pronounced like an Englishman,
not the king's way, though the king's was pretty good, for an
imitation. I can't give the old gent's words, nor I can't imitate him;
but he turned around to the crowd, and says, about like this:
"This is a surprise to me which I wasn't looking for; and I'll
acknowledge, candid and frank, I ain't very well fixed to meet it
and answer it; for my brother and me has had misfortunes, he's
broke his arm, and our baggage got put off at a town above here,
last night in the night by a mistake. I am Peter Wilks's brother
Harvey, and this is his brother William, which can't hear nor
speak- and can't even make signs to amount to much, now't he's
only got one hand to work them with. We are who we say we are;
and in a day or two, when I get the baggage, I can prove it. But, up
till then, I won't say nothing more, but go to the hotel and wait."
So him and the new dummy started off; and the king he laughs,
and blethers out:
"Broke his arm- very likely ain't it?- and very convenient, too,
for a fraud that's got to make signs, and hain't learnt how. Lost
their baggage! That's mighty good!- and mighty ingenious- under
the circumstances!"
189
So he laughed again; and so did everybody else, except three or
four, or maybe half a dozen. One of these was that doctor; another
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]