Part 29 (1/2)
”He is really quite tenderhearted, and awfully fond of children, you know. I am sure he will be very much pleased with the--Besides,” she broke off to say with considerable heat, ”Mr. Percival is not as high and mighty as he imagines himself to be. Other people have something to say about the management of this camp. You forget,--and so does he perhaps,--that we have a council of ten. I rather fancy--”
”Pooh!” sniffed her aunt. ”He is worse than all the Tammany bosses put together. The other men on the council of ten eat out of his hand, as Abel Landover says. His word is law,--or, I should have said, his smile is law. All he has to do is to grin and the argument is over. I've never seen anything like the way people give in when he smiles. It is disgusting.”
”Please don't forget, Auntie, that he did not smile on Sat.u.r.day when Manuel Crust stopped him in front of the meeting-house and said he was going to take Sunday off from work up in the woods. He didn't smile then, did he? And there were a dozen men planning to take the day off with Manuel Crust, too.”
”I confess I was frightened,” admitted Mrs. Spofford, with a slight shudder. ”That Manuel Crust is a--a dangerous man. He carries a knife. I saw it.”
”Were your sympathies with Manuel Crust or Mr. Percival? Answer, please.”
”Naturally, my dear, I--why, of course, they were with Percival. He was one man against a dozen. Besides, he does represent law and order. I have never questioned that, have I?”
”Weren't you a weeny, teeny bit proud of him yesterday, Aunt Julia?”
”Weren't you?” countered the other.
”I could have hugged him,” exclaimed Ruth, her eyes sparkling. ”I hate him,--mind you,--but I could have hugged him, just the same.”
Mrs. Spofford looked searchingly into the girls clear, s.h.i.+ning eyes.
”I wish I knew just how much you hate him, Ruth.”
”Be honest, Auntie. What you mean is, how little I hate him; isn't that so?”
”I don't believe you hate him at all.”
”Well, the first chance you get, ask him how much I hate him. He will tell you. Now let's talk about Easter Sunday. I don't in the least see why I should go down on my knees to Mr. Percival in order to--”
”Manuel Crust went down on his knees, didn't he?”
”Don't be silly! Manuel Crust was leading a strike. I am arranging a sacred entertainment.”
”Still, if I were you, my dear, I would ask him what he thinks about it.”
”All right,” cried Ruth, ”I'll ask him. And what's more, I shall ask him to sing in the choir. He will love it.”
Not only did Percival promise to sing in the choir, but he eagerly offered to help her with the decorations. But when she announced that she was going up into the hills in quest of the little red winter berries that grew in profusion, he flatly put his foot down on the project.
”I don't feel any too sure of Manuel Crust and his gang,” said he.
”They're in an ugly mood and they are brutes, Miss Clinton. Don't be alarmed. They're not likely to molest you or any one else, but I don't believe in taking chances. Just at present they're pretty sore at me and they're doing all they can to stir up discord. It will work out all right in the end, of course. They may be beasts but they're not fools.”
”Is it true that Manuel Crust claims that every man should have his woman?” she asked steadily.
He was surprised by the frank, unembarra.s.sed question. ”Crust is about as vile as they make them, Miss Clinton. Most of these fellows are decent, however.”
”But you have not answered my question.”
”I will answer it by saying that if he has any such notion as that in his mind he will have it taken out of him in short order if he attempts to put it into practice. The women on this island will be protected, Miss Clinton, if we have to kill Manuel Crust and his fol-lowers. It is true he has been preaching that sort of gospel among the vicious and ignorant Portugees and half-casts, but it's all talk. Don't pay any attention to it.”
”We can't help being worried. Suppose his following is much larger than you think. They are a rough, lawless crowd, and--”
”Ninety-five per cent, of the men here are decent. That's the only comfort I can give you.” He smiled his whimsical smile. ”I think you will find that you will be courted in the regular, old-fas.h.i.+oned way, and proposed to with as much solemnity and uncertainty as if you were back at home, and it will be left for you to choose your own husband. We have two ministers of the gospel here, you know. I predict some rather violent courts.h.i.+ps, and perhaps a few ill-advised marriages, but you may rest a.s.sured that no man is going to claim you until you claim him.”