The Starbucks | Page 7

I am glad
you ain't hard to please."
"Oh, I should indeed be finical to find fault with anything in this
delicious air," said Mrs. Mayfield, smiling at Lou, "this new life,
among these God-worshipping hills, these--"
"Oh, auntie brought her romance with her," Tom broke in, and Lou
gave him a look of tender reproof.
"Oh, let her talk, please. I like to hear her." And standing beside Mrs.
Mayfield's chair she said: "You told me you were something. What was
it?"
"An echo from the world," the city woman answered.
Lou looked at her mother who in turn gave her a look in which the girl
read an ignorance as profound as her own. "Well, is sounds mighty
putty," she said, "but what do you mean by it. I don't understand."
"Why Lou!" exclaimed her mother. "You musn't talk that way."

"Oh, let her go ahead," Tom spoke up. "The fact is auntie says a good
many things I'd like to have explained to me."
"Tom," she said, "please don't be any more wayward than you can
help."
At this moment old Jasper's voice was heard without. "Git down from
here. Got less sense than any dog I ever seed, come a jumpin' on me
with yo' muddy feet. Howdy everybody, howdy," he greeted them as he
entered, with a set of harness on his arm. Every one spoke to him and
after surveying the party he drew a chair out from the table, sat down
and began to tug at the harness, pulling hard against the resistance of a
rusty buckle. "Whar's that luther string?" he inquired of his wife.
"What luther string?"
"The one I told you to put away for me some time last fall--mebby fall
a year ago. Whar is it?"
"Gracious alive Jasper, I don't know. What did you bring that gear in
here for? Can't you fix it at the stable?"
"Yes, could. Could also sleep and eat out thar, but I don't want to."
"Now what on the yeth do you want to talk that way fur?"
Jasper chuckled. "Wall, a man ain't hardly responsible for what he says
when he's talkin' to a woman."
"Then you don't believe, Mr. Starbuck, that woman inspires truth," said
Mrs. Mayfield, and Jim leaned forward, still gazing at her.
"Oh, yes, all the putty truths," Jasper replied, and Tom who, with Lou,
was standing over near the fire-place, sang out: "There, auntie, he is
meeting you on your own ground."
Jim's countenance flared and he struck in: "Yes, in the shade where the
soft air is stirring."

Mrs. Mayfield turned to him. "Oh, thank you Mr.--I shall have to call
you Mr. Reverend."
He gave her a smile and then as if afraid of too much light shut it off;
but he had the courage to reply: "Anything you call me, ma'm, will be
music."
"Oh, I tell you," said Jasper, tugging at the buckle, "Jim ain't been
preachin' ten years fur nothin'. Wall, mighty fur nothin', too; for I
ricolleck that one winter all he got was a pa'r of blue jeens britches an'
fo' pa'r of wool socks. And if I don't cuss this thing in a minit more I'll
be about fitten to preach."
"Mr. Starbuck," Mrs. Mayfield inquired, "was that you shooting so
early this morning?"
"Yes'm, killin' them squirrels we had fur breakfus'."
"And you saw the sun rise?"
He left off working with his gear and looked at her. "Ah, hah. Ever see
the sun rise?"
"I have seen the moon set," she said, half musing.
"And so have I," said Jasper. "I have seen the moon set and hatch out
the stars."
And still musing, Mrs. Mayfield replied: "Yes, and they peeped at one
another in their heavenly nest until the sun, man-like, came and spoiled
it all."
[Illustration: "THEM WHAT HAIN'T HAD TROUBLE 'AIN'T HAD
NO CAUSE TO LOOK FUR THE LORD."]
Jasper and his wife looked at each other, knowingly in the eye; and
then the old man said: "I beg yo' pardon, ma'm, but you must have had
trouble. But don't let it bother you any mo' than you kin help, fur my
experience teaches me that them what hain't had trouble ain't had no

cause to look fur the Lord."
"Why, Jasper Starbuck," Margaret spoke up, "ain't you ashamed of
yo'se'f to talk about the Lord thatter way?"
"I ain't said a word ag'in Him. Leave it to the preacher thar. Have I,
Jim?"
"No, Uncle Jasper."
"Much obleeged to you, Jim; and instead of stayin' five weeks with us
as you said you 'lowed to, I wush you'd stay longer. I need you to prove
things by. Couldn't make it five months, could you, Jim?"
"No, Uncle Jasper, I must get back to my mountain-side