“Guess you can’t do nothing for me, but maybe I can do something for you. Candy ain’t in my line. Never spent none o’ my solid cash for the stuff, but I’m glad other people do; plenty of fools in this world to help wise folks get rich, ain’t there?”
“Will you please state your business?” and Constance took up another letter as a hint to her unwelcome visitor that her time, if not his, was of some value.
“Got a pile o’ answers, ain’t you? That’s just what I thought, and it’s just what brought me down here this early. This letter come for Kitty in my care ’most a week ago, but she’s down in the city doin’ somethin’ or ’nother; don’t ’mount to much, I guess, though. I knew she hadn’t no friends up yonder in swell Riveredge, and when I saw your ad. in the Riveredge Times it didn’t take me no time to put two and two together. Oh, I’m fly, I am! I knowed—knew—the postmark meant something about that candy kitchen, ’cause Mary Willing and Kit used to be school pals, and I guessed you was a-lookin’ for more help, and I don’t often guess wrong, neither. I sent a telegraph to Kit to come on home this mornin’ to see you, but I weren’t goin’ to take any chances, so I come right up to clench the job for her.”
“Then I assume that you are Miss Sniffins’ brother. May I ask why you felt so sure that the letter sent to your care was from me, or had anything to do with my need of more help in this business?”
The smile and wink which prefaced his reply nearly proved the last straw. Quietly reaching below the counter, Constance pressed an electric button. She had been wise beyond her years when she had this connection made between her Arch and Charles’ counter. Sniffins did not notice the motion.
“Well, you see, I’m boss in my own house and run the wimmin-folks. When I suspicioned what the letter was, I just took French leave, so to speak, and opened and read it——”
“What!” The indignation in Constance’s tone was a trifle disconcerting even to the thick-skinned Sniffins, and he had the grace to color slightly. But it was only momentary. He rarely forgot Sniffins.
“Oh, that’s all O. K. All in the family, you see. Kit won’t dare kick; she ain’t the kickin’ kind—not with me, anyhow. She knows too well which side her bread’s buttered to kick. I’m the head of things down yonder in our house, and as long as I can earn the pile and put up the cash for ’em Ma and Kit can toe the mark. But I don’t see no reason why they shouldn’t add some to the pile. We ain’t, so-to-speak, rich yet, but we ain’t poor; oh, no-siree, we ain’t poor. That savings bank next door knows we ain’t poor no more, and it knows we’re goin’ to be——”
“Yes, Charles, I need you,” interrupted Constance, for unobserved by her visitor old Charles had drawn near, and now stood just behind Sniffins, and had heard a good portion of his senseless boasting.
“Yas, Mist’ess, I’s right hyer fer ter sarve yo’.”