Short Fiction Edgar Allan Poe (books for men to read .txt) đ
- Author: Edgar Allan Poe
Book online «Short Fiction Edgar Allan Poe (books for men to read .txt) đ». Author Edgar Allan Poe
âThe antennae!â said Legrand, who seemed to be getting unaccountably warm upon the subject; âI am sure you must see the antennae. I made them as distinct as they are in the original insect, and I presume that is sufficient.â
âWell, well,â I said, âperhaps you haveâ âstill I donât see them;â and I handed him the paper without additional remark, not wishing to ruffle his temper; but I was much surprised at the turn affairs had taken; his ill humor puzzled meâ âand, as for the drawing of the beetle, there were positively no antennae visible, and the whole did bear a very close resemblance to the ordinary cuts of a deathâs-head.
He received the paper very peevishly, and was about to crumple it, apparently to throw it in the fire, when a casual glance at the design seemed suddenly to rivet his attention. In an instant his face grew violently redâ âin another as excessively pale. For some minutes he continued to scrutinize the drawing minutely where he sat. At length he arose, took a candle from the table, and proceeded to seat himself upon a sea-chest in the farthest corner of the room. Here again he made an anxious examination of the paper; turning it in all directions. He said nothing, however, and his conduct greatly astonished me; yet I thought it prudent not to exacerbate the growing moodiness of his temper by any comment. Presently he took from his coat pocket a wallet, placed the paper carefully in it, and deposited both in a writing-desk, which he locked. He now grew more composed in his demeanor; but his original air of enthusiasm had quite disappeared. Yet he seemed not so much sulky as abstracted. As the evening wore away he became more and more absorbed in reverie, from which no sallies of mine could arouse him. It had been my intention to pass the night at the hut, as I had frequently done before, but, seeing my host in this mood, I deemed it proper to take leave. He did not press me to remain, but, as I departed, he shook my hand with even more than his usual cordiality.
It was about a month after this (and during the interval I had seen nothing of Legrand) when I received a visit, at Charleston, from his man, Jupiter. I had never seen the good old negro look so dispirited, and I feared that some serious disaster had befallen my friend.
âWell, Jup,â said I, âwhat is the matter now?â âhow is your master?â
âWhy, to speak de troof, massa, him not so berry well as mought be.â
âNot well! I am truly sorry to hear it. What does he complain of?â
âDar! datâs it!â âhim neber âplain of notinââ âbut him berry sick for all dat.â
âVery sick, Jupiter!â âwhy didnât you say so at once? Is he confined to bed?â
âNo, dat he aint!â âhe aint âfinâd nowharâ âdatâs just whar de shoe pinchâ âmy mind is got to be berry hebby âbout poor Massa Will.â
âJupiter, I should like to understand what it is you are talking about. You say your master is sick. Hasnât he told you what ails him?â
âWhy, massa, ât aint worf while for to git mad about de matterâ âMassa Will say noffin at all aint de matter wid himâ âbut den what make him go about looking dis here way, wid he head down and he soldiers up, and as white as a gose? And den he keep a syphon all de timeâ ââ
âKeeps a what, Jupiter?â
âKeeps a syphon wid de figgurs on de slateâ âde queerest figgurs I ebber did see. Ise gittinâ to be skeered, I tell you. Hab for to keep mighty tight eye âpon him ânoovers. Todder day he gib me slip âfore de sun up and was gone de whole ob de blessed day. I had a big stick ready cut for to gib him deuced good beating when he did comeâ âbut Ise sich a fool dat I hadnât de heart arter allâ âhe look so berry poorly.â
âEh?â âwhat?â âah yes!â âupon the whole I think you had better not be too severe with the poor fellowâ âdonât flog him, Jupiterâ âhe canât very well stand itâ âbut can you form no idea of what has occasioned this illness, or rather this change of conduct? Has anything unpleasant happened since I saw you?â
âNo, massa, dey aint bin noffin unpleasant since denâ ââtwas âfore den Iâm fearedâ ââtwas de berry day you was dare.â
âHow? what do you mean?â
âWhy, massa, I mean de bugâ âdare now.â
âThe what?â
âDe bugâ âIâm berry sartain dat Massa Will bin bit somewhere bout de head by dat goole-bug.â
âAnd what cause have you, Jupiter, for such a supposition?â
âClaws enuff, massa, and mouff too. I nebber did see sich a deuced bugâ âhe kick and he bite ebery ting what cum near him. Massa Will cotch him fuss, but had for to let him go âgin mighty quick, I tell youâ âden was de time he must haâ got de bite. I didnât like de look oh de bug mouff, myself, no how, so I wouldnât take hold ob him wid my finger, but I cotch him wid a piece ob paper dat I found. I rap him up in de paper and stuff piece ob it in he mouffâ âdat was de way.â
âAnd you think, then, that your master was really bitten by the beetle, and that the bite made him sick?â
âI donât think noffinâ about itâ âI nose it. What make him dream âbout de goole so much, if ât aint cause he bit by de goole-bug? Ise heerd âbout dem goole-bugs fore dis.â
âBut how do
Comments (0)