"Oh, yes, it is so.Six or eight weeks ago--in January 'twas--there was a drummer in my store sellin' a line of tools and he was lookin' out of the window when this Phillips cuss went by with Maud Hunniwell, both of 'em struttin' along as if common folks, honest folks, was dirt under their feet.And when this drummer see 'em he swore right out loud.'Why,' says he, 'that's Charlie Phillips, of Middleford, ain't it?' 'His name's Phillips and he comes from Connecticut somewheres,' says I.'I thought he was in state's prison,' says he.'What do you mean?' says I.And then he told me.'By godfreys,' says I, 'if you can fix it so's I can prove that's true I'll give you the biggest order you ever got in this store.' ''Twon't be any trouble to prove it,' says he.'All you've got to do is look up his record in Middleford.' And I've looked it up.Yes, sir-ee, I've looked it up.Ho, ho!"Jed, white and shaking, made one more attempt.
"It's all a lie," he cried."Of course it is.Besides, if you knew so much why have you been waitin' all this time before you told it? If you found out all this--this pack of rubbish in January why did you wait till March before you told it? Humph!
That's pretty thin, I--"
Phineas interrupted.
"Shut up!" he ordered."Why did I wait? Well, now, Shavin's, seein' it's you and I love you so, I'll tell you.At first I was for runnin' right out in the street and hollerin' to all hands to come and hear the good news about Sam Hunniwell's pet.And then thinks I: 'Hold on! don't be in any hurry.There's time enough.
Just wait and see what happens.A crook that steals once is liable to try it again.Let's wait and see.' And I waited, and-- He, he, he!--he has tried it again.Eh, Shavin's?"Jed was speechless.Babbitt, looking like a triumphantly vicious Bantam rooster, crowed on.
"You don't seem to be quite so sassy and talky as you was when Ifirst came in, Shavin's," he sneered."Guess likely YOU ain't feelin' well now...eh? Do you remember what I told you last time I was in this shop? I told you I'd pay my debts to you and Sam Hunniwell if I waited fifty year.Well, here's Hunniwell's pay comin' to him now.He's praised that Phillips thief from one end of Ostable county to the other, told how smart he was and how honest and good he was till--Lord A'mighty, it's enough to turn a decent man's stomach! And not only that, but here's the feller courtin' his daughter.Oh, ho, ho, ho! that's the best of the whole business.That was another thing made me hang off and wait;I wanted to see how the courtin' came along.And it's come along all right.Everybody's onto 'em, hangin' over each other, and lookin' soft at each other.She's just fairly heavin' herself at his head, all hands says so.There ain't been anybody in this town good enough for her till he showed up.And now it's comin' out that he's a crook and a jailbird! And he'll be jailed for stealin'
THIS time, too.Ho, ho!"
He stopped, out of breath, to indulge in another long chuckle.Jed leaned forward.
"What are you talkin' about, Phin?" he demanded."Even allowin'
all this--this rigmarole of yours about--about Middleford business--was true--"
"It is true and you know it is.I believe you've known it all along.""I say allowin' it is, you haven't any right to say Charlie took this money from the Orham bank.You can't prove any such thing.""Aw, be still! Prove--prove nothin'.When a cat and a sasser of milk's shut up together and the milk's gone, you don't need proof to know where it's gone, do you? Don't talk to me about proof, Jed Winslow.Put a thief alongside of money and anybody knows what'll happen.Why, YOU know what's happened yourself.You know darn well Charlie Phillips has stole the money that's gone from the bank.Down inside you you're sartin sure of it; and I don't want any better proof of THAT than just your face, Shavin's."This time Jed did not attempt to contradict.Instead he tried a new hazard.
"Phin," he pleaded, "don't be too hard.Just think of what'll happen if you come out with that--that wild-goose yarn of yours.
Think of Maud, poor girl.You haven't got anything against her, have you?""Yes, I have.She's stuck-up and nose in the air and looks at me as if I was some sort of--of a bug she wouldn't want to step on for fear of mussin' up her shoes.I never did like her, blast her.
But leavin' that all to one side, she's Sam Hunniwell's young-one and that's enough for me.""But she's his only child, Phin."
"Good enough! I had a boy; he was an only child, too, you'll remember.Where is he now? Out somewheres where he don't belong, fightin' and bein' killed to help Wall Street get rich.And who sent him there? Why, Sam Hunniwell and his gang.You're one of 'em, Jed Winslow.To hell with you, every one of you, daughters and all hands.""But, Phin--just a minute.Think of what it'll mean to Charlie, poor young feller.It'll mean--""It'll mean ten years this time, and a good job, too.You poor fool, do you think you can talk me out of this? You, you sawdust-head? What do you think I came into your hole here for? I came here so's you'd know what I was goin' to do to your precious chums.
I wanted to tell you and have the fun of watchin' you squirm.
Well, I'm havin' the fun, plenty of it.Squirm, you Wall Street bloodsucker, squirm."He fairly stood on tiptoe to scream the last command.To a disinterested observer the scene might have had some elements of farce comedy.Certainly Phineas, his hat fallen off and under foot, his scanty gray hair tousled and his pugnacious chin beard bristling, was funny to look at.And the idea of calling Jed Winslow a "Wall Street bloodsucker" was the cream of burlesque.
But to Jed himself it was all tragedy, deep and dreadful.He made one more desperate plea.
