“Not for a while, of course,” admitted Morgan. “But the old possum he’d get a divorce in a little while.”
“Well, I’m not going to let her go,” Joe declared, turning away as if that settled the matter for good and all. “You’ve done–I could kill you for what you’ve done!” said he, with sudden vehemence. 97
Morgan looked at him curiously, his careless face softening.
“Now, see here, don’t you look at it that way, Joe,” he argued. “I’m not so bad; neither is Ollie. You’ll understand these matters better when you’re older and know more about the way men feel. She wanted love, and I gave her love. She’s been worked to rags and bones by that old devil; and what I’ve done, and what I want to do, is in kindness, Joe. I’ll take her away from here and provide for her like she was a queen, I’ll give her the love and comradeship of a young man and make her happy, Joe. Don’t you see?”
“But you can’t make her respectable,” said Joe. “I’m not going to let her leave with you, or go to you. If she wants to go after Isom comes back, then let her. But not before. Now, you’d better go on away, Morgan, before I lose my temper. I was mad when I started after you, but I’ve cooled down. Don’t roil me up again. Go on your way, and leave that woman alone.”
“Joe, you’re a man in everything but sense,” said Morgan, not unkindly, “and I reckon if you and I was to clinch we’d raise a purty big dust and muss things around a right smart. And I don’t know who’d come out on top at the finish, neither. So I don’t want to have any trouble with you. All I ask of you is step to one side and leave us two alone in what we’ve started to do and got all planned to carry out. Go to bed tonight and go to sleep. You’re not supposed to know that anything’s due to happen, and if you sleep sound you’ll find a twenty-dollar bill under your hat in the morning.”
The suggestion brought a blush to Joe’s face. He set his lips as if fighting down hot words before he spoke.
“If I have to tie her I’ll do it,” said Joe earnestly. “She shan’t leave. And if I have to take down that old gun from the kitchen wall to keep you away from here till Isom comes home, I’ll take it down. You can come to the gate tonight if you want to, but if you do––” 98
Joe looked him straight in the eyes. Morgan’s face lost its color. He turned as if to see that his horse was still standing, and stood that way a little while.
“I guess I’ll drive on off, Joe,” said Morgan with a sigh, as if he had reached the conclusion after a long consideration.