“Now, I’m goin’ to tell you a yarn about it. Y’see, kiddies––y’see, ther’ weren’t a heap o’ folk around when God first fixed things right––”
“Jest one man an’ a snake,” interrupted Sandy in his informative way.
“Shut up,” whispered Toby, prodding him with his elbow. Sandy scowled, but remained silent.
“Wal,” continued Scipio, “as I was sayin’, He jest made one sort o’ sample man an’ a snake. An’,” he added, suddenly brightening under inspiration, “He sot ’em in a garden, an’ called it the Garden of Eden.”
Little Vada suddenly clapped her hands.
“Yes, an’ it was all flowers an’––an’ fruit,” she cried ecstatically.
Jamie’s eyes were dancing with delight, too, but he remained silent, waiting for developments.
The members of the Trust looked on with the deepest interest. Each man’s face wore a half-smile––that is, all except the gambler’s, who still appeared to be absorbed in his own thought––and the bush opposite. But the interest of these men was less in the little man’s story than in a speculation as to when he was going to break down, and yield his tutelary attitude before a battery of infantile questions.
However, Scipio was still in a fairly strong position.
“Well,” he agreed, “I do guess ther’ was fruit ther’, but I don’t guess it was a fruit ranch exactly. Maybe it was sort of mixed farmin’. Howsum, that don’t matter a heap. Y’see, ther’ was heaps an’ heaps of animals, an’ bugs, an’ spiders, an’ things––an’ jest one man.”