Yo' daughter--"
"Only a dream so fur as you air consarned."
"Do you mean to say she won't marry me if you tell her to?"
Starbuck left the table upon which he had been sitting, and moved over
closer to his visitor. "Look here: you know she can't love you, an'
don't you want her because you think I've got a little money? Hah, ain't
that it?" And slowly the old man went over to the fire-place, took down
his pipe, filled it and stood twisting a piece of paper. "When you git
right down to it, Lije, ain't that the reason--money?"
"Well," said Peters, shifting about, "if thar is money, I reckon I know
how you come by some of it." He put his foot on a chair and pulled at
his beard. "Yes, I reckon I know how you got a good deal of it.
Starbuck, I know an old feller about yo' size an' with gray ha'r that
has made a good deal o' licker when the sun wan't shinin'. And that
fetches me down to the p'int. I have applied fur appointment as Deputy
United States Marshal. Do you know what that means--if I git it?"
Starbuck leaned over and thrust the piece of paper into the fire,
turned about with it blazing in his hand and applied it to his pipe.
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