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BY and by it was getting-up time. So I come down the ladder and started
for down-stairs; but as I come to the girls’ room the door was open, and I
see Mary Jane setting by her old hair trunk, which was open and she’d been
packing things in it—getting ready to go to England. But she had stopped now
with a folded gown in her lap, and had her face in her hands, crying. I felt
awful bad to see it; of course anybody would. I went in there and
says:
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Pretty soon it was time to get up. I went down the ladder and headed
downstairs, but as I was passing by I saw that the door to the girls’ room
was open. I saw Mary Jane inside sitting by her old hair trunk, which was
open. She’d been packing things in it and getting ready to go to England.
She had stopped, though, and had a folded gown in her lap and was crying
with her face in her hands. I felt awful to see it—anyone would, of course.
I went in there and said:
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“Miss Mary Jane, you can’t a-bear to see people in trouble, and I
can’t—most always. Tell me about it.”
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“Miss Mary Jane, you can’t stand to see people in trouble, and I usually
can’t either. Tell me about it.”
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So she done it. And it was the niggers—I just expected it. She said the
beautiful trip to England was most about spoiled for her; she didn’t know
HOW she was ever going to be happy there, knowing the mother and the
children warn’t ever going to see each other no more—and then busted out
bitterer than ever, and flung up her hands, and says:
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So she did. She was crying over the n------, just as I’d suspected. She
said it was going to spoil the beautiful trip she was about to take to
England. She said she didn’t know HOW she was ever going to be happy knowing
that the mother and children were never going to see each other again. Then
she started crying more fiercely than ever. She flung up her hands and
said:
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“Oh, dear, dear, to think they ain’t EVER going to see each other any
more!”
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“Oh dear, dear! To think they’re never EVER going to see each other any
more!”
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“But they WILL—and inside of two weeks—and I KNOW it!” says I.
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“But they WILL—and in less than two weeks. I KNOW it!” I said.
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Laws, it was out before I could think! And before I could budge she throws
her arms around my neck and told me to say it AGAIN, say it AGAIN, say it
AGAIN!
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Oops! I’d said it without thinking! And before I could budge an inch she
threw her arms around my neck and told me to say it AGAIN, say it AGAIN, say
it AGAIN!
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I see I had spoke too sudden and said too much, and was in a close place.
I asked her to let me think a minute; and she set there, very impatient and
excited and handsome, but looking kind of happy and eased-up, like a person
that’s had a tooth pulled out. So I went to studying it out. I says to
myself, I reckon a body that ups and tells the truth when he is in a tight
place is taking considerable many resks, though I ain’t had no experience,
and can’t say for certain; but it looks so to me, anyway; and yet here’s a
case where I’m blest if it don’t look to me like the truth is better and
actuly SAFER than a lie. I must lay it by in my mind, and think it over some
time or other, it’s so kind of strange and unregular. I never see nothing
like it. Well, I says to myself at last, I’m a-going to chance it; I’ll up
and tell the truth this time, though it does seem most like setting down on
a kag of powder and touching it off just to see where you’ll go to. Then I
says:
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I saw that I’d spoken too quickly and said too much. Now I was in a
difficult situation. I asked her to let me think a minute, and she sat there
very patiently. She looked excited and very pretty, but also kind of happy
and relaxed, like a person after they’ve had a tooth pulled out. I thought
for a moment, and told myself that someone who tells the truth when he’s in
a difficult situation like this is taking a big risk. That’s the way it
always seemed to me, though I hadn’t had much experience and couldn’t really
say so for certain. Yet here was a case where it seemed telling the truth
would be better and SAFER than telling a lie. It was so strange and unusual,
that I told myself I’d have to put it aside for awhile and think it over
some other time. I’d never encountered a situation like it. Finally I told
myself that I was going to risk it—I’d tell the truth this time, though it
did seem a lot like sitting on a keg of gunpower and lighting it just to see
where’d the explosion would send you flying. Then I said:
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“Miss Mary Jane, is there any place out of town a little ways where you
could go and stay three or four days?”
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“Miss Mary Jane, is there any place out of town a little ways where you
could go and stay for three or four days?”
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“Yes; Mr. Lothrop’s. Why?”
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“Yes—Mr. Lothrop’s. Why?”
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“Never mind why yet. If I’ll tell you how I know the niggers will see each
other again inside of two weeks—here in this house—and PROVE how I know
it—will you go to Mr. Lothrop’s and stay four days?”
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“Never mind why just yet. If I tell you how I know the n------ will see
each other again—right here in this house—in less than two weeks and PROVE
it, will you go to Mr. Lothrop’s and stay four days?”
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“Four days!” she says; “I’ll stay a year!”
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“Four days?!” she said. “I’ll stay a whole year!”
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“All right,” I says, “I don’t want nothing more out of YOU than just your
word—I druther have it than another man’s kiss-the-Bible.” She smiled and
reddened up very sweet, and I says, “If you don’t mind it, I’ll shut the
door—and bolt it.”
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“All right,” I said. “You don’t have to say anything else as long as you
give me your WORD. I’d rather have that than another man’s kiss on the
Bible.” She smiled and blushed very sweetly. I said, “If you don’t mind,
I’ll shut the door—and bolt it.”
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Then I come back and set down again, and says:
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Then I came back and sat down again and said:
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“Don’t you holler. Just set still and take it like a man. I got to tell
the truth, and you want to brace up, Miss Mary, because it’s a bad kind, and
going to be hard to take, but there ain’t no help for it. These uncles of
yourn ain’t no uncles at all; they’re a couple of frauds—regular dead-beats.
There, now we’re over the worst of it, you can stand the rest middling
easy.”
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“Don’t yell. Just sit still and take it like a man. I’ve got to tell the
truth, and you’ll want to brace yourself, Miss Mary, because it’s pretty
bad. It’s going to be hard to swallow, but there’s nothing I can do about
that. These uncles of yours… well, they aren’t your uncles at all. They’re a
couple of frauds—real deadbeats. There. Now the worst is over. The rest
won’t be as hard to take.”
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It jolted her up like everything, of course; but I was over the shoal
water now, so I went right along, her eyes a-blazing higher and higher all
the time, and told her every blame thing, from where we first struck that
young fool going up to the steamboat, clear through to where she flung
herself on to the king’s breast at the front door and he kissed her sixteen
or seventeen times—and then up she jumps, with her face afire like sunset,
and says:
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The news jolted her considerably, of course, but I was past the shallowest
waters now, so I continued. I told her every detail, from the time when we
first met that young fool heading toward the steamboat clear through to
where she flung herself into the king’s arms as he stood at the front door
and kissed her sixteen or seventeen times. Her eyes blazed more with each
new detail until she finally jumped up with her face lit up like a sunset
and said:
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