FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66  
67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   >>   >|  
uth ... all which did not help him toward success and solid emolument. He would take eggs in payment for his visits ... or jars of preserves ... or fresh meat, if the farmer happened to be slaughtering. * * * * * "Where's Granma?" I asked Aunt Alice, as she shoved a batch of bread in the oven. "She's out Halton way ... she'll go crazy with joy when she gets word you're back home. She'll start for here right off as soon as she hears the news. She's visiting with Lan and his folks." When I heard Lan mentioned I couldn't help giving a savage look. Aunt Alice misinterpreted. "What, Johnnie--won't you be glad to see her!... you ought to ... she's said over and over again that she loved you more than she did any of her own children." "It isn't that--I hate Landon. I wish he was dead or someone would kill him for me." "Johnnie, you ought to forgive and forget. It ain't Christian." "I don't care. I'm not a Christian." "O Johnnie!" shocked ... then, after a pause of reproach which I enjoyed--"your Uncle Lan's toned down a lot since then ... married ... has four children ... one every year." And Alice laughed whimsically. "--and he's stopped gambling and drinking, and he's got a good job as master-mechanic in a factory.... "He was young ... he was only a boy in the days when he whipped you." "Yes, and I suppose I was old?... I tell you, Aunt Alice, it's something I can't forget ... the dirty coward," and I swore violently, forgetting myself. At that moment Uncle Beck appeared suddenly at the door, back from a case. "Here, here, that won't do! I don't allow that kind of language in my household." And he gave me a severe and admonishing look before going off on another and more urgent call that waited him. * * * * * "And how's Granma been getting on?" "--aging rapidly ... " a pause, " ... hasn't got either of the two houses on Mansion Avenue now ... sold them and divided the money among her children ... gave us some ... and Millie ... and Lan ... wouldn't hear of 'no' ... " parenthetically, "Uncle Joe didn't need any; he's always prospered since the early days, you know." "And what's Granma up to these days?" For she was always doing sweet, ignorant, childish, impractical things. "--spirit-rapping is it? or palmistry? or magnetic healing? or what?" "You'll laugh!" "Tell me!" "She's got a beau." "What? a beau? and s
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66  
67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Granma

 

children

 

Johnnie

 

Christian

 

forget

 

suppose

 

severe

 

admonishing

 
household
 
language

waited

 
whipped
 

urgent

 

moment

 

forgetting

 
violently
 

coward

 
appeared
 

suddenly

 

ignorant


childish

 
impractical
 

things

 
healing
 

magnetic

 

spirit

 
rapping
 

palmistry

 

prospered

 

divided


Avenue
 

Mansion

 
houses
 

parenthetically

 

wouldn

 

Millie

 

rapidly

 

slaughtering

 

savage

 

misinterpreted


shoved

 

happened

 
preserves
 
farmer
 

giving

 

Halton

 

mentioned

 

couldn

 

visiting

 

Landon