Ben considered a little whether what he had to say was news or not; and then taking rather an enlarged view of the word, he added—
"Yes, I have. Todd wants a pious boy."
"A what?"
"A pious boy. He's got a bill in his window to say that he wants a pious boy. What do you think of that, now? Did you ever hear of such a villain? Easy does it. And he came out, too, and wanted to 'polish me off.'"
"Oh, Ben."
"Oh, Johanna. Take things easy."
"I mean that you should be very careful indeed not to go into that man's shop. Promise me that you will never do so."
"All's right. Never be afeard, or you'd never tame the beastesses. If I was only to go into that fellow's shop and fix a eye on him so—you'd see!"
Ben fixed one of his eyes upon Johanna in such a manner, that she was glad to escape from its glare, which was quite gratifying to him (Ben), inasmuch as it was a kind of tacit acknowledgment of the extraordinary powers of his vision.
"Easy does it," he said. "All's right. Do you mean to meet this colonel?"