«No, nothing — nothing that I can think of, Maria,» replied Old Grannis, terribly vexed at the interruption, yet not wishing to be unkind. «Nothing I think of. Yet, however — perhaps — if you wish to look.»
He sat in the middle of the room before a small pine table. His little binding apparatus was before him. In his fingers was a huge upholsterer's needle threaded with twine, a brad-awl lay at his elbow, on the floor beside him was a great pile of pamphlets, the pages uncut. Old Grannis bought the «Nation» and the «Breeder and Sportsman.» In the latter he occasionally found articles on dogs which interested him. The former he seldom read. He could not afford to subscribe regularly to either of the publications, but purchased their back numbers by the score, almost solely for the pleasure he took in binding them.
«What you alus sewing up them books for, Mister Grannis?» asked Maria, as she began rummaging about in Old Grannis's closet shelves. «There's just hundreds of 'em in here on yer shelves; they ain't no good to you.»
«Well, well,» answered Old Grannis, timidly, rubbing his chin, «I–I'm sure I can't quite say; a little habit, you know; a diversion, a — a — it occupies one, you know. I don't smoke; it takes the place of a pipe, perhaps.»
«Here's this old yellow pitcher,» said Maria, coming out of the closet with it in her hand. «The handle's cracked; you don't want it; better give me it.»
Old Grannis did want the pitcher; true, he never used it now, but he had kept it a long time, and somehow he held to it as old people hold to trivial, worthless things that they have had for many years.
«Oh, that pitcher — well, Maria, I–I don't know. I'm afraid — you see, that pitcher—"
"Ah, go 'long," interrupted Maria Macapa, "what's the good of it?"
"If you insist, Maria, but I would much rather—" he rubbed his chin, perplexed and annoyed, hating to refuse, and wishing that Maria were gone.
"Why, what's the good of it?" persisted Maria. He could give no sufficient answer. "That's all right," she asserted, carrying the pitcher out.