Marian alone, thanks to her bottle of liquor
and her stoutness of build, stood the strain upon back and arms
without suffering. Tess urged Izz to leave off, agreeing, as she
felt better, to finish the day without her, and make equal division
of the number of sheaves.
Izz accepted the offer gratefully, and disappeared through the great
door into the snowy track to her lodging. Marian, as was the case
every afternoon at this time on account of the bottle, began to feel
in a romantic vein.
"I should not have thought it of him--never!" she said in a dreamy
tone. "And I loved him so! I didn't mind his having YOU. But this
about Izz is too bad!"
Tess, in her start at the words, narrowly missed cutting off a finger
with the bill-hook.
"Is it about my husband?" she stammered.
"Well, yes. Izz said, 'Don't 'ee tell her'; but I am sure I can't
help it! It was what he wanted Izz to do. He wanted her to go off
to Brazil with him."
Tess's face faded as white as the scene without, and its curves
straightened. "And did Izz refuse to go?" she asked.
"I don't know. Anyhow he changed his mind."
"Pooh--then he didn't mean it! 'Twas just a man's jest!"
"Yes he did; for he drove her a good-ways towards the station.
Pages:
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488