Prev | Current Page 117 | Next

Harte, Bret, 1836-1902

"Drift from Two Shores"

As she entered the room, the sun came out,
too, and revealed the prettiness and delicacy of her figure, and I
regret to state, also, the somewhat obtrusive plainness of her
visitor.
"I knew ye'd be sorter disapp'inted at first, not gettin' the
regular bearings o' my name, but I'm 'Captain Dick.' Mebbe ye've
heard your husband--that is, your husband ez waz, Roger Catron--
speak o' me?"
Mrs. Catron, feeling herself outraged and deceived in belt, ruche,
and ribbon, freezingly admitted that she had heard of him before.
"In course," said the captain; "why, Lord love ye, Mrs. Catron,--ez
waz,--he used to be all the time talkin' of ye. And allers in a
free, easy, confidential way. Why, one night--don't ye remember?--
when he came home, carryin', mebbee, more canvas than was
seamanlike, and you shet him out the house, and laid for him with a
broomstick, or one o' them crokay mallets, I disremember which, and
he kem over to me, ole Captain Dick, and I sez to him, sez I, 'Why,
Roger, them's only love pats, and yer condishun is such ez to make
any woman mad-like.


Pages:
105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129