I didn't answer straight off, an' he noticed it. "What is she studyin' about?" sez he, mighty shrewd.
"How can a body tell what that child is studyin' about?" sez I.
"You're with her most of the time—fact is, about all you do is to play with her these days."
"Any time my work here don't suit you," I began; but he snaps in, "It ain't a question o' work. If you amuse her you're worth more to me'n any other ten men; but I have some rights. I want to know what you think."
"Have you asked her?" sez I.
"I'm askin' you," sez he.
"Well, I want you to understand 'at I ain't no spy," sez I, glad of a way out. "I don't know all 'at 's on her mind, an' I don't propose to guess; and if I did know, I wouldn't tell unless she told me to. If you know any way to make me tell, why go ahead and I'll stand by and watch the proceedin's."
Well, he ranted up an' down a while, an' finally he pulls himself down an' sez, "Now look here, Happy, the' 's a difference between a parent an' anybody else."
"I own too to that," sez I; "but what have I got to do with it?"
"Well, you can sort of hint around until you find out what's on her mind, an' if it ain't somethin' fit, you can tell her so; because if it comes to a show down, she thinks I ought to tell her anything she wants to know."