FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132  
133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   >>   >|  
ht. He's from up in our country, on the Ohio. Hardly anybody knows about him. He was always a dandy fellow, but he married a woman that wasn't fit to drink his coffee. She bothered the life out of him, and--well, he squared up. He gave her to the other fellow with a double-barrelled shotgun." When Nelia ran down to the gambling boat and found Parson Rasba there, she enjoyed the idea. Certainly the River Prophet and the river gambler were an interesting combination. She was not prepared to find that Buck had taken his departure and that Parson Rasba was converting the gambling hell into a mission boat. Least of all was she prepared when Parson Rasba said with an unsteady voice: "Theh's a man sick in that other boat, and likely he'd like to see somebody." "Oh, if there's anything I can do!" she exclaimed, as a woman does. He led the way to the brick-red little boat, the like of which could be found in a thousand river eddies. She followed him on board and over to the bed. There she looked into the wan countenance and startled eyes of Jest Prebol. "Hit's Mister Prebol," Rasba said. "I know you have no hard feelings against him, and I know he has none against you, Missy Carline!" An introduction to a contrite river pirate, whom she had shot, for the moment rendered the young woman speechless. Prebol was less at loss for words. "I'm glad to git to see yo'," he said, feebly. "If I'd knowed yo', I shore would have minded my own business. I'm bad, Missy Carline, but I ain' mean--not much. Leastwise, not about women. I reckon the boys shore will let yo' be now. I made a mistake, an' I 'low to 'pologise to yo'." "I was--I was scairt to death," she cried, sitting in a chair. "I was all alone. I was afraid--the river was so big that night. I was so far away. I should have given you fair warning. I'm sorry, too, Jest." "Lawse!" Prebol choked. "Say hit thataway ag'in----" "I'm sorry, too, Jest!" "I cayn't thank yo' all enough," the man-whispered. "I've got friends along down the riveh. I'll send word along to them, they'll shore treat yo' nice. Treat friends of yourn nice, too. Huh! 'Pologizin' to me afteh what I 'lowed to do!" "We'll be good friends, Jest. The Prophet here and I are good friends, too. Aren't we, Parson?" "I hearn say, Missy," the Prophet said, slowly, picking his words, "I hearn say you've a power and a heap of book learning! Books on yo' boat, all kinds. What favoured yo' thataway?"
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132  
133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Prebol

 

friends

 

Parson

 
Prophet
 
Carline
 

prepared

 
thataway
 

fellow

 

gambling

 

reckon


Leastwise
 

slowly

 

pologise

 

scairt

 

mistake

 
picking
 

knowed

 

feebly

 

favoured

 
minded

business

 
learning
 

whispered

 

Pologizin

 

afraid

 

warning

 

choked

 
sitting
 

Certainly

 

gambler


interesting

 

enjoyed

 

shotgun

 

combination

 

unsteady

 

mission

 

departure

 

converting

 

barrelled

 

double


Hardly

 

country

 

married

 

squared

 

coffee

 

bothered

 
feelings
 

Mister

 

countenance

 

startled