"I'm goin' to walk a spell with you," he said, locking his arm in Tom's as he came up. "I want to have a talk."
"Yes," Tom faltered, with a dreadful sinking of the heart, while Peterkin went on:
"You see you've been a comin' to Lubbertoo off and on for mighty nigh a month, and as the parent of a family it's time I as't your intentions."
"Intentions!" Tom stammered, trying to draw his arm from Peterkin's.
But he might as well have tried to wrench it from a vise, for Peterkin held it fast and went on:
"Yes, intentions! Thunderation, hain't a chap 'sposed to have intentions when he hangs round a gal who has money, like my Ann 'Liza? I tell you what, Thomas," and his manner became very insinuating and frank, "as nigh as I can calkerlate I'm worth three millions, fair and square, and there's three on 'em to divide it amongst—May Jane, Bill, and Ann 'Liza. Now, s'posin' we say, threes into three million, don't it leave a million?"
Tom acknowledged that it did, and Peterkin continued:
"Jess so. Now I aint one of them mean skunks that wants his folks to wait till he's dead afore they enjoys themselves; and the day my Ann 'Liza is married, I plank down a million in hard cash for her and her husband to do what they darned please with; cut a dash in Europe as Hal is doin', if they like, or cut a splurge to hum, it's all one to me. I call that square, don't you?"
Tom admitted that he did, and Peterkin went on:
"Now, then, I ain't a goin' to have Ann 'Liza's affections trifled with, and if I catch a feller a doin' on't d'ye know what I'll do?"