It's all cur'ous. 'Fore he come, doctors en folks
was trying ter fin' out 'bout me, en this Ma'tine 'lows he knows
all 'bout me. Ef he wuzn't so orful glum, he'd be a good chap
anuff, ef he is cur'ous. Hit's all a-changin' somehow, en yet'
tisn't. Awhile ago nobody knowd 'bout me, en they wuz allus a-
pesterin' of me with questions. En now Ma'tine en you 'low you
know 'bout me, yet you ast questions jes' the same. Like anuff
this man yere," pointing with his cigar to Mr. Kemble, who was
listening with a deeply-troubled face, "knows 'bout me too, yet
wants to ast questions. I don' keer ef I do say it, I had better
times with the Johnnies that call me Yankee Blank than I ever had
sence. Well, ole duffer [to Mr. Kemble], ast away and git yer load
off'n yer mind. I don't like glum faces roun' en folks jes'
nachelly bilin' over with questions."
"No, Captain Nichol," said the banker, gravely and sadly, "I've no
questions to ask. Good-by for the present."
Nichol nodded a careless dismissal and resumed his reminiscences
with Jackson, whose eager curiosity and readiness to laugh were
much more to his mind.
Pages:
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214