Turk was a setter with mastiff mixing, worth a
little for the hunt and more for the watch, but as an ornament and
friend worth more than all; he was so impartial in his favors as to like
Aunt Hominy and Vesta about equally, and often slept in the kitchen
before the great chimney fire.
"Do we worry you, Mr. Milburn, by reading here?" Vesta asked.
"No, my darling. It is so kind of you to bring music to my poor loft."
William Tilghman opened his Bible at a place marked by a little
ribbon-backed bristol card, inscribed in Vesta's childhood by her
learning fingers, "Watch with me." He thought of his cousin, now
fluttering between her betrayal to this Pilate and her crucifixion, and
caught her eyes looking at the Bible-marker, as if saying to him and to
the forest maiden, "Watch with me."
Tilghman started the reading, Vesta followed, and Rhoda had to do her
part, also; but she required to labor hard to keep up, as the chapter
was in the Acts, descriptive of Paul's voyage towards Rome, and had
plenty of hard words and geography in it. At one verse, Rhoda's reading
was like this:
"And--when--we--had--sailed--slowl--li--many-days--and--scare--scare--skar
--skurse--I declar', Aunt Vesty, this print is blombinable!--scace--Oh,
yes, scacely--scarce--were--come--over--against--Ceni--Snide--Snid--Mr.
Tilghman, what is this crab-kine of word? Cnidus? Well, I declar'! a dog
couldn't spell that; it looks like Snyder spelled by his hired
man--against Cnidus--the--wind--not--snuffers--no, snuffering (here
Rhoda executed the double sniffle)--yes, didn't I say snuffering? I mean
suffering--suffering--us--we--sailed--under--I can't spell that nohow;
nobody kin!"
"'Sailed under Crete,' dear," assisted Vesta.
Pages:
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271