"
"Can't? Why can't I? Self-sacrifice be hanged! Thankful, can't you
see--"
"Yes. Oh yes. I can see. . . . Now let's talk about Jedediah. Do you
think--"
"Jedediah be keelhauled! Will you marry me, Thankful Barnes?"
"Why no, Obed; of course I won't."
"You won't? Why not?"
"Because--well, because I--I can't. There, there, Obed! Please don't ask
me again. Please don't!"
Captain Obed did not ask. He did not speak again for what, to Mrs.
Barnes, seemed a long, long time. At length she could bear it no longer.
"PLEASE, Obed," she begged.
The captain slowly shook his head. Then he laughed a short, mirthless
laugh.
"What an old fool I am!" he muttered. "What an old fool!"
"Obed, don't talk so! Don't! Do you want to make
this--everything--harder for me?"
He straightened and squared his shoulders.
"Thank you, Thankful," he said, earnestly. "Thank you for sayin' that.
That's the way to talk to me. I know I'm an old fool, but I won't be any
more, if I can help it. Make it harder for you? I guess not!"
"Obed, I'm so sorry."
"Sho! sho! You needn't be. . . . I'm all right. I've been dreamin'
foolish dreams, like a young feller after a church picnic dinner, but
I'm awake now. Yes'm, I'm awake. Now just you forget that I talked in my
sleep. Forget the whole of it and let's get back to--to that brother of
yours. We've got to locate him, that's the first thing to be done. I'll
send a telegram right off to that Kelly man out in 'Frisco askin' if
what's-his-name--Jedediah--is there yet.
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