Satisfied with his investigations, Mr. Creecy now remarked, quite cheerfully:
“I s’pose, sir, you air a drover?”
“A drover? No, sir; as far as I am able to judge, I am not. More, I cannot say, as I do not know what you mean.”
“Den I reckin, sir, you air er furiner inter the bargin.”
“No, sir; not a foreigner either, though I was educated abroad—partly.”
“Dat’s it,” ejaculated the old man, triumphantly. “Eddicashun is the thing what plays the Ole Harry wid the onderstan’in’. Dar is my little Mell, dar, when she war er chit of er gal, an’ knowed nuthin’ ’bout the things writ down in books, she war er mighty smart gal. She had a onderstan’in’ of plain English, mity near es good es mine, an’ she could keep house, an’ make butter, an’ look arter farm bizniss in gin’ral, not ter say nuthin’ ’bout sowin’ her own cloes; an’ now, bless God! arter gittin’ er fine eddicashun, she don’t know the diffrance ’tween er hoss an’ er mule, or er bull an’ er heifer; an’ she’d no mo’ let yer ketch ’er wid er broom in her han’, or er common word on her lips dan steal er chickin! Es fur es my experance goes, nuthin’ spiles er gal like high schoolin’. I purt myself ter a heap er trouble, young man, ter edicate my only darter, but I’d purt myself ter er long site mo’, ter onedicate ’er, ef I know’d how!”
This speech amused Mr. Devonhough to such an extent that he reluctantly displayed a set of very white teeth, and Mell’s rather strained gayety found an agreeable echo in his pleasant-sounding laughter. Even the old farmer’s features relaxed. He was “consid’ble hefted up” at the undisguised effect of his own facetiousness.
“The reason I axed ef yer wuz er cattle dealer,” he proceeded, “is dis. You ’pears ter be in the habit er comin’ hur every mornin’ ter see our fine Jersey. She’s er regular beauty, ain’t she?”
“She is—worth coming to see; but since you press the point, I feel called upon to disavow coming here for any such purpose.”