Short Fiction Kate Chopin (best e reader for android .txt) đ
- Author: Kate Chopin
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âWatâs his name?â
âAndrĂ© Pascal.â
The name meant nothing to TelÚsphore. For all he knew, André Pascal might be one of the shining lights of Avoyelles; but he doubted it.
âYou betta turn ârounâ,â he said. It was an unselfish impulse that prompted the suggestion. It was the thought of this girl married to a man whom even Jules Trodon would not suffer to enter his house.
âI done give my word,â she answered.
âWatâs the matta with âim? Wây donât yoâ father and mother want you to marry âim?â
âWây? Because itâs always the same tune! Wen a manâs down eveâybodyâs got stones to throw at âim. They say heâs lazy. A man that will walk from St. Landry plumb to Rapides lookinâ foâ work; anâ they call that lazy! Then, somebodyâs been spreadinâ yonda on the Bayou that he drinks. I donâ bâlieve it. I neva saw âim drinkinâ, me. Anyway, he wonât drink afta heâs married to me; heâs too fonâ of me foâ that. He say heâll blow out his brains if I donâ marry âim.â
âI reckon you betta turn rounâ.â
âNo, I done give my word.â And they went creeping on through the woods in silence.
âWâat time is it?â she asked after an interval. He lit a match and looked at his watch.
âItâs quarta to one. Wâat time did he say?â
âI tole âim Iâd come about one oâclock. I knew that was a good time to get away fâom the ball.â
She would have hurried a little but the pony could not be induced to do so. He dragged himself, seemingly ready at any moment to give up the breath of life. But once out of the woods he made up for lost time. They were on the open prairie again, and he fairly ripped the air; some flying demon must have changed skins with him.
It was a few minutes of one oâclock when they drew up before Wat Gibsonâs house. It was not much more than a rude shelter, and in the dim starlight it seemed isolated, as if standing alone in the middle of the black, far-reaching prairie. As they halted at the gate a dog within set up a furious barking; and an old negro who had been smoking his pipe at that ghostly hour, advanced toward them from the shelter of the gallery. TelĂšsphore descended and helped his companion to alight.
âWe want to see Mr. Gibson,â spoke up ZaĂŻda. The old fellow had already opened the gate. There was no light in the house.
âMarse Gibson, he yonda to ole Mr. Bodelâs playinâ kairds. But he nevaâ stay atter one oâclock. Come in, maâam; come in, suh; walk right âlong in.â He had drawn his own conclusions to explain their appearance. They stood upon the narrow porch waiting while he went inside to light the lamp.
Although the house was small, as it comprised but one room, that room was comparatively a large one. It looked to TelĂšsphore and ZaĂŻda very large and gloomy when they entered it. The lamp was on a table that stood against the wall, and that held further a rusty looking ink bottle, a pen and an old blank book. A narrow bed was off in the corner. The brick chimney extended into the room and formed a ledge that served as mantel shelf. From the big, low-hanging rafters swung an assortment of fishing tackle, a gun, some discarded articles of clothing and a string of red peppers. The boards of the floor were broad, rough and loosely joined together.
TelĂšsphore and ZaĂŻda seated themselves on opposite sides of the table and the negro went out to the wood pile to gather chips and pieces of bois-gras with which to kindle a small fire.
It was a little chilly; he supposed the two would want coffee and he knew that Wat Gibson would ask for a cup the first thing on his arrival.
âI wonder wâatâs keepinâ âim,â muttered ZaĂŻda impatiently. TelĂšsphore looked at his watch. He had been looking at it at intervals of one minute straight along.
âItâs ten minutes pasâ one,â he said. He offered no further comment.
At twelve minutes past one ZaĂŻdaâs restlessness again broke into speech.
âI canât imagine, me, wâatâs become of AndrĂ©! He said heâd be yere shoâ at one.â The old negro was kneeling before the fire that he had kindled, contemplating the cheerful blaze. He rolled his eyes toward ZaĂŻda.
âYou talkinâ âbout Mr. AndrĂ© Pascal? No need to look foâ him. Mr. AndrĂ© he bâen down to de Pâint all day raisinâ Cain.â
âThatâs a lie,â said ZaĂŻda. TelĂšsphore said nothing.
âTainât no lie, maâam; he bâen shoâ raisinâ de ole Nick.â She looked at him, too contemptuous to reply.
The negro told no lie so far as his bald statement was concerned. He was simply mistaken in his estimate of AndrĂ© Pascalâs ability to âraise Cainâ during an entire afternoon and evening and still keep a rendezvous with a lady at one oâclock in the morning. For AndrĂ© was even then at hand, as the loud and menacing howl of the dog testified. The negro hastened out to admit him.
André did not enter at once; he stayed a while outside abusing the dog and communicating to the negro his intention of coming out to shoot the animal after he had attended to more pressing business that was awaiting him within.
ZaĂŻda arose, a little flurried and excited when he entered. TelĂšsphore remained seated.
Pascal was partially sober. There had evidently been an attempt at dressing for the occasion at some early part of the previous day, but such evidences had almost wholly vanished. His linen was soiled and his whole appearance was that of a man who, by an effort, had aroused himself from a debauch. He was a little taller than TelĂšsphore, and more loosely put together. Most women would have called him a handsomer
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