“You’re deep!” said Sellick, still suspicious of some cunning design hidden beneath Jack’s candid avowal; “or else you’re a bigger fool than I took ye for.”
“Have it which way you like,” Jack replied. And having fairly committed himself to this open and manly course, he felt his bosom swell with honest pride and satisfaction. “Now, whatever happens,” thought he, “I’ve done what is right; I’ll be true, I’ll be my better self, I won’t lie or skulk, for anybody or anything!” Or if he did not think this, he felt it, and it made him brave and strong.
“You’re a smart boy to milk,” said Sellick, looking at the contents of Jack’s pail when it was brought to him. “If you git out of this scrape, I shouldn’t wonder if I would hire you. What do you say?”
It did not seem to Jack that he could bear to live so near Deacon Chatford’s house, and feel that he might never enter it again as he used to do. Yet such an offer was encouraging; and the confidence in him which it implied, on the part of the constable, touched his heart.
“There will be time enough to talk about that after I get out of the scrape,” he said. “I can’t make any bargain till then.”
“That’s right; that’s fair and honest. You’ll find it a fust-rate place,” Sellick went on; “good living, plenty to do, and a jolly man to work for. Do chores this winter to pay for your board, and go to school if you like; and next summer I’ll pay you wages. Think on ’t, you’d better. Now for breakfast. You’ve earnt yours, say nothing about the bet. You can milk a cow twice as quick as Billy. Good boy, but slow, is Billy; drea’ful modrit; stiddy as a yoke of oxen. Fust summer he worked for me—Talking about you, Billy,” said Sellick, as the old-looking youth overtook them on their way to the house.
Billy, looking as if he was used to being made fun of, said, “Sho!” and grinned, and hung his head.
“Telling how stiddy you be. Fust season he worked for me, I had a good deal of chopping to do over in the South Swamp. So fur off, men used to carry their dinners. Billy went over every day ’cept Sundays, all spring, till along into May, when I noticed something mighty curi’s about his face. From a straight line down his forehead and nose, all one side was tanned like an Injin’s, while t’ other was white as a lady’s.”
“Sho! ’t wa’n’t so!” said Billy.
“Fact. And this is how it happened. He went over in the morning with the left side of his face turned towards the sun as ’twas rising, and come home at night with the same side turned towards the sun as ’twas setting; worked in the shade of the woods all day, and never turned his head going and coming, ’cause he’s sich a stiddy boy.” And Sellick set the example of laughing merrily at his own wit.