' And about
an hour later, when Schofields' hits four or five, he'll speak up again,
'Say, I reckon he means eight.' 'Long towards nine o'clock, they say he
skews around in his chair and says, 'Wonder if he'll strike before time or
after,' and Anna Belle answers out loud, 'I hope after,' for politeness;
but in her soul she says, 'I pray before'; and then Schofields' hits her
up for eighteen or twenty, and Anna Belle's company reaches for his hat.
Three Sundays ago he turned around before he went out and said, 'Do you
like apple-butter?' but never waited to find out. It's the same programme
every Sunday evening, and Jim Bardlock says Anna Belle's so worn out you
wouldn't hardly know her for the blithe creature she was last year--the
excitement's be'n too much for her!"
Poor William Todd bent his fiery face over the table and suffered the
general snicker in helpless silence. Then there was quiet for a space,
broken only by the click of knives against the heavy china and the
indolent rustle of Cynthia's fly-brush.
"Town so still," observed the landlord, finally, with a complacent glance
at the dessert course of prunes to which his guests were helping
themselves from a central reservoir, "Town so still, hardly seems like
show-day's come round again. Yet there's be'n some shore signs lately:
when my shavers come honeyin' up with, 'Say, pa, ain't they no urrands I
can go for ye, pa? I like to run 'em for you, pa,'--'relse, 'Oh, pa, ain't
they no water I can haul, or nothin', pa?'--'relse, as little Rosina T.
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