“He heard there was a big painting job out at Briggsville, and he hustled right over to land it.”
“What!” says Catty, and his eyes got all shiny. “What was that there word?”
“Hustled,” says Jack.
“He never hustled before,” says Catty, “never. Jack, do you calc’late he’s really takin’ a interest in this business?”
“I know he is,” says Jack. “He’s been taking a real interest in it for a long time, too. He hates to let on, but you just think back for weeks and see how hard he’s worked. Why, Catty, you wouldn’t think your father was the same man! He’s got a head, too.”
“Dad always had a head when he wasn’t too shiftless to use it,” says Catty.
“I’d tell you something else, too, but I sha’n’t,” says Jack. “I’ll let him show you himself. But what about this churn? Going into the butter business?”
“Jack,” says Catty, “I hain’t got no business in the world but gettin’ Dad and me respectable. After we git that then I’m really a-goin’ to git to hustlin’ in a business way. But so far I hain’t done a thing but work on the respectable end.”
“You’ve done a lot, I should say. But that doesn’t explain the churn.”
“Wait till Dad comes and we’ll tell you about it,” says Catty, and just then Mr. Atkins came in and he was looking pleased.