"Set, young man," said Leffingwell heartily, "an' see who's teeth are
sharper, yourn or mine."
Dick sat down gladly, and they fell to. The woman alternately waited
on them and ate with them. For a time the two masculine human beings
ate and drank with so much vigor that there was no time for talk.
Leffingwell was the first to break silence.
"I kin see you growin'," he said.
"Growing?"
"Yes, growin', you're eatin' so much, you're enjoyin' it so much,
an' you're digestin' it so fast. You are already taller than you was
when you set, an' you're broader 'cross the chest. No, 'tain't wuth
while to 'pologize. You've got a right to be hungry, an' you mustn't
forget Ma's cookin' either. She's never had her beat in all these
mountains."
"Shut up, Seth," said Mrs. Leffingwell, genially, "you'll make the young
stranger think you're plum' foolish, which won't be wide of the mark
either."
"I'm grateful," said Dick falling into the spirit of it, "but what pains
me, Mrs. Leffingwell, is the fact that Mr. Leffingwell will only nibble
at your food. I don't understand it, as he looks like a healthy man."
"'Twouldn't do for me to be too hearty," said Leffingwell, "or I'd keep
Mandy here cookin' all the time."
They seemed pleasant people to Dick, good, honest mountain types,
and he was glad that he had found their house. The room in which they
sat was large, apparently used for all purposes, kitchen, dining-room,
sitting-room, and bedroom.
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