He even encouraged Myrtella in her
tirade against him, spurring her on to fresh effort, as the monks of
old! courted flagellation.
"That's right, Sis!" he urged, "you git it all out of your system. I
says to the lady next door, I says, what I need is a dressing down
from my good sister. She'll give me gussie, says I, then she'll light
in an' help me. That's her way, I says, there ain't a more generous
person on this terrestrial globe. I 'lowed maybe she'd be moved to
follow your example, but she wasn't. She handed me out a line of
Sunday school talk fer more 'n a hour, then she didn't give me nothin'
but this here Bible, an' me a starvin' man! I've ate a little of
everything in my day, but I'm skeered to risk my digestion on
Deuteronomies and Psa'ms!"
"Well, you needn't come beggin' 'round here, and trackin' in the mud,"
announced Myrtella firmly. "I'm done with you! You had just as good a
chance to get on as me. I never ast favors of nobody; I went to work
an' hustled. What's more, I ain't goin' to stop 'til I get to be a
boardin'-house keeper. And what'll you be? A lazy, drunken, good-for-
nothin' sponge."
Phineas, toying with his hat, suddenly sniffed the air and smiled.
Pages:
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154