Hiram sighed at his recollections in that line. But his face cleared immediately.
“Him with his tongue out and his mouth all made up for that twenty thousand and the widder! Him as had made his brags about her, and now has got to face the grinnin’s and the sneerin’s! It will be lin-g’rin’ agony, that’s what it will.
“Lordy mighty, will I ever forgit the face he made up when he see me behind that wistery! O-h-h-h, I shall wake up in the night and laugh till I set the roosters to crowin’. Him a-drivin’ out of the yard with the widder givin’ him a few final lambastes with her tongue and me a-stickin’ my head out through the wistery. He a-tumin’ ’round to git a last look at her and seein’ me and realisin’ then—yass’r, realisin’! And his wheel ketched on a post and he fell down into the bottom of the waggon and began to push against the post like he was tryin’ to shove off a dory—clean forgittin’ he was in a team! Oh, what a state that man’s mind must have been in!”
Hiram rolled to and fro on the carriage seat in an ecstasy of mirth.
“Never’ll forgit what she said to him then.
“‘Take your reins and back up,’ says she. ‘I don’t want people ’round here to think you’re drunk as well as a complete fool, you old hump-backed, tarfingered garsoline tank! A pretty farmer you’d make—and don’t know a waggon from a dory! Git out of my yard and don’t never let me set eyes on you ag’in. I’ve got a man as is a man,’ and she pointed to me, and I swow I couldn’t help it! I set my thumb to my nose and give him the real, old-fashioned waggle. Ow, haw, haw! Ow, haw, haw!”
“And then she come right to me and give me a pat on the back and says: ‘It didn’t need any of them writin’s to make me give him his come-uppance, Mr. Look. I never give a snap of my finger for him, anyway, since I met you. Ow, hee-hee!”
“You seem to be feelin’ ’bout as gay as they make ‘em,” called a voice from the roadside.
Hiram started up and wiped the tears of merriment from his eyes.
Two men were standing by the highway fence, men whose solemn faces were streaked by perspiration. One of them carried a small rifle. The other was “Sawed-Off” Purday, the Palermo deputy-sheriff. He was armed with a club.