第77章
"Snow," he declared, "you're all right.You surely have the faculty of putting your finger on the weak spots.Of course we can't stop it.If these two young idiots have a mind to marry and keep that mind, they WILL marry and we can't prevent it any more than we could prevent the tide coming in to-morrow morning._I_realized that this was a sort of fool's errand, my coming down here.I know that this isn't the age when parents can forbid marriages and get away with it, as they used to on the stage in the old plays.Boys and girls nowadays have a way of going their own gait in such matters.But my wife doesn't see it in exactly that way, and she was so insistent on my coming down here to stop the thing if I could that--well, I came.""I'm glad you did, Mr.Fosdick, real glad.And, although I agree with you that the very worst thing to do, if we want to stop this team from pullin' together, is to haul back on the bits and holler 'Whoa,' still I'm kind of hopeful that, maybe...humph! Ideclare, it looks as if I'd have to tell you another story.I'm gettin' as bad as Cap'n Hannibal Doane used to be, and they used to call him 'The Rope Walk' 'cause he spun so many yarns."Fosdick laughed again."You may go as far as you like with your stories, Captain," he said."I can grow fat on them.""Thanks.Well, this ain't a story exactly; it just kind of makes the point I'm tryin' to get at.Calvin Bangs had a white mare one time and the critter had a habit of runnin' away.Once his wife, Hannah J., was in the buggy all by herself, over to the Ostable Fair, Calvin havin' got out to buy some peanuts or somethin'.The mare got scared of the noise and crowd and bolted.As luck would have it, she went right through the fence and out onto the trottin'
track.And around that track she went, hell bent for election.
All hands was runnin' alongside hollerin' 'Stop her! Stop her!
'but not Calvin--no SIR! He waited till the mare was abreast of him, the mare on two legs and the buggy on two wheels and Hannah 'most anywheres between the dasher and the next world, and then he sung out: 'Give her her head, Hannah! Give her her head.She'll stop when she runs down.'"He laughed and his visitor laughed with him.
"I gather," observed the New Yorker, "that you believe it the better policy to give our young people their heads.""In reason--yes, I do.It's my judgment that an affair like this will hurry more and more if you try too hard to stop it.If you don't try at all so any one would notice it, it may run down and stop of itself, the way Calvin's mare did."Fosdick nodded reflectively."I'm inclined to agree with you," he said."But does that mean that they're to correspond, write love letters, and all that?""Why, in reason, maybe.If we say no to that, they'll write anyhow, won't they?""Of course....How would it do to get them to promise to write nothing that their parents might not see? Of course I don't mean for your grandson to show you his letters before he sends them to Madeline.He's too old for that, and he would refuse.But suppose you asked him to agree to write nothing that Madeline would not be willing to show her mother--or me.Do you think he would?""Maybe.I'll ask him....Yes, I guess likely he'd do that.""My reason for suggesting it is, frankly, not so much on account of the young people as to pacify my wife.I am not afraid--not very much afraid of this love affair.They are young, both of them.
Give them time, and--as you say, Snow, the thing may run down, peter out.""I'm in hopes 'twill.It's calf love, as I see it, and I believe 'twill pay to give the calves rope enough.""So do I.No, I'm not much troubled about the young people.But Mrs.Fosdick--well, my trouble will be with her.She'll want to have your boy shot or jailed or hanged or something.""I presume likely.I guess you'll have to handle her the way another feller who used to live here in South Harniss said he handled his wife.'We don't never have any trouble at all,' says he.'Whenever she says yes or no, I say the same thing.Later on, when it comes to doin', I do what I feel like.'...Eh? You're not goin', are you, Mr.Fosdick?"His visitor had risen and was reaching for his coat.Captain Zelotes also rose.
"Don't hurry, don't hurry," he begged.
"Sorry, but I must.I want to be back in New York tomorrow morning.""But you can't, can you? To do that you'll have to get up to Boston or Fall River, and the afternoon train's gone.You'd better stay and have supper along with my wife and me, stay at our house over night, and take the early train after breakfast to-morrow.""I wish I could; I'd like nothing better.But I can't.""Sure?" Then, with a smile, he added: "Al needn't eat with us, you know, if his bein' there makes either of you feel nervous."Fosdick laughed again."I think I should be willing to risk the nervousness," he replied."But I must go, really.I've hired a chap at the garage here to drive me to Boston in his car and I'll take the midnight train over.""Humph! Well, if you must, you must.Hope you have a comf'table trip, Mr.Fosdick.Better wrap up warm; it's pretty nigh a five-hour run to Boston and there's some cool wind over the Ostable marshes this time of year.Good-by, sir.Glad to have had this talk with you."His visitor held out his hand."So am I, Snow," he said heartily.
"Mighty glad."
"I hope I wasn't too short and brisk at the beginnin'.You see, I'd just read your wife's letter, and--er--well, of course, Ididn't know--just--you see, you and I had never met, and so--""Certainly, certainly.I quite understand.And, fool's errand or not, I'm very glad I came here.If you'll pardon my saying so, it was worth the trip to get acquainted with you.I hope, whatever comes of the other thing, that our acquaintanceship will continue.""Same here, same here.Go right out the side door, Mr.Fosdick, saves goin' through the office.Good day, sir."He watched the bulky figure of the New York banker tramping across the yard between the piles of lumber.A moment later he entered the outer office.Albert and Keeler were at their desks.Captain Zelotes approached the little bookkeeper.
"Labe," he queried, "there isn't anything particular you want me to talk about just now, is there?"Lahan looked up in surprise from his figuring.
"Why--why, no, Cap'n Lote, don't know's there is," he said."Don't know's there is, not now, no, no, no."His employer nodded."Good!" he exclaimed."Then I'm goin' back inside there and sit down and rest my chin for an hour, anyhow.
I've talked so much to-day that my jaws squeak.Don't disturb me for anything short of a fire or a mutiny."