And we'll say the neighbors were wise; they'd
watched you go out with your spade and lantern. And after you'd near
broke your back diggin' you found you'd been buffaloed. Are you
followin' me?"
Who says a Swede is all solid maple from the neck up? Nelse's
buttermilk blue eyes flickers with almost human intelligence. Some of
the men smother a snicker.
"Well," I goes on, "we'll say you was sensitive about it. In order to
duck their frivolous remarks when you came sneakin' back, maybe you'd
be deceitful enough to bluff it through. You might lug something home
in the bag, even if it was only some loose real estate. I don't say
you would, mind you. You got such an honest, cash-register face. But
there are shifty parties who could do that and never bat an eye. I
ain't mentionin' any names."
I didn't need to. To a man, they glances over the rail at Mr. Ellins.
"Then that's all," says I. "Only you got to lay off with them merry
expressions when you lug those sacks aboard. Handle 'em careful and
reverent, and stow 'em in the main cabin where you're told. If you do
it well I expect there'll be more or less in it for all of you. Now,
then, got your cues, have you?"
They salutes respectful.
"Then get busy with the stevedore stuff," says I.
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