His
sleeping room shone with clean windows, curtained in snowy white.
A freshly ironed suit of underclothing and a shirt lay on his
bed. Dannie stared at them.
"She think's I'll tog up in them, and come courtin'" he growled.
"I'll show her if I do! I winna touch them!"
To prove that he would not, Dannie caught them up in a wad, and
threw them into a corner. That showed a clean sheet, fresh
pillow, and new covers, invitingly spread back. Dannie turned as
white as the pillow at which he stared.
"That's a damn plain insinuation that I'm to get into ye," he
said to the bed, "and go on living here. I dinna know as that
child's jabber counts. For all I know, Mary may already have
picked out some town dude to bring here and farm out on me, and
they'll live with the bird cage. and I can go on climbin' into ye
alone."
Here was a new thought. Mary might mean only kindness to him
again, as she had sent word by Jimmy she meant years ago. He
might lose her for the second time. And again a wave of desire
struck Dannie, and left him staggering.
"Ain't you comin', Uncle Dannie?" called the child's voice at the
back door.
"What's your name, little lass?" inquired Dannie.
"Tilly," answered the little girl promptly.
"Well, Tilly, ye go tell your Aunt Mary I have been in an
eelevator handlin' grain, and I'm covered wi' fine dust and chaff
that sticks me.
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