I
want to ask another question--but first I want to say that no one
thinks higher or more frequent of the ladies than just me, I'm
genuinely fond of 'em and I've never lifted my hand ag'in' 'em
except in kindness." Mr. Slosson looked at Ware with an
exceedingly virtuous expression of countenance. He continued.
"Yo' orders are that we're to slip out of this a little afore
midnight, but suppose there's a hitch--here's the lady knowing
what she knows and here's the boy knowing what he knows."
"There can be no hitch," rasped out Murrell arrogantly.
"I never knew a speculation that couldn't go wrong; and by rights
we should have got away last night."
"Well, whose fault is it you didn't?" demanded Murrell.
"In a manner it were mine, but the ark got on a sandbank as we
were fetching it in and it took us the whole damn night to get
clear."
"Well?" prompted Murrell, with a sullen frown.
"Suppose they get shut of that notion of theirs that the lady's
done drowned herself, suppose they take to watching the river?
Or suppose the whole damn bottom drops out of this deal? What
then? Why, I'll tell you what then--the lady, good looking as
she is, knows enough to make west Tennessee mighty onhealthy for
some of us. I say suppose it's a flash in the pan and you have
to crowd the distance in between you and this part of the world,
you can't tell me you'll have any use for her then." Slosson
paused impressively. "And here's Mr. Ware feeling bad, feeling
like hell," he resumed.
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