Then she permitted me to watch,
though even at these times she often broke from sleep to come and be
assured that the worthless black hound had not changed for the worse.
One dim, early morning, when she thought I had gone, after my night's
watch, I returned softly to the half-opened door with a forgotten
injunction about the medicines. All night Clem had babbled languidly of
many things, of "a hunded thousan' hatchin' aigs," and "a thousan'
brillion dollahs," of "Mahstah Jere" and "Little Miss," of a visiting
Cousin Peavey whom he had been obliged to "whup" for his repeated
misdemeanors; and darkly and often had he whispered, so low I could
scarcely hear it, of an enemy that was entering the room with a fell
design. "_Tha'_ he is--he go'n' a' sprinkle snake-dust in mah
boots--tha' he is--watch _out_!"
He still maundered weakly as I reached the door, but it was not this
that detained me at its threshold. It was Miss Caroline, who had
actually knelt at his side. At first I thought she wept over one of his
blue-black hands, which she clung eagerly to with both her own. Then I
saw that there seemed to be no tears--yet silently, almost impassively,
she gave me a sense of hopeless grief that I thought no outburst of
weeping could have done.
Pages:
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275