CHAPTER XX.
A LOST CAUSE.
The boy's musings confirmed him in the idea that his mother's scheme wasentirely practical. He didn't hanker much to marry, being young andfairly satisfied with his present lot; but opportunities like this didnot often occur, and it seemed his bounden duty to take advantage of it.
He got the "store clothes" next day, together with a scarlet necktiethat was "all made up in the latest style," as Sam Cotting assured him,and a pair of yellow kid gloves "fit fer a howlin' swell." Skim wasn'tsure, at first, about the gloves, but capitulated when Sam declared theywere "real cityfied."
In the evening he "togged up," with his mother's help, and then walkedover to the Wegg farm.
Beth answered the knock at the door. The living room was brightlylighted; Uncle John and the Major were playing checkers in a corner andPatsy was softly drumming on the piano. Louise had a book and Beth hadbeen engaged upon some fancy-work.
When the door opened Skim bobbed his head and said:
"Evenin', mom. I've come a-visitin'."
Beth conquered an inclination to smile.
"Won't you come in?" she said, sweetly.
"Thankee; I will. I'm Skimbley Clark, ye know; down t' the village. Makeeps a store there."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Clark. Allow me to introduce to you myuncle and cousins," said the girl, her eyes dancing with amusement.
Skim acknowledged the introductions with intense gravity, and then satdown upon a straight-backed chair near the piano, this being the end ofthe room where the three girls were grouped. Uncle John gave a chuckleand resumed his game with the Major, who whispered that he would give adollar for an oil painting of Mr. Clark--if it couldn't be had for less.
Louise laid down her book and regarded the visitor wonderingly. Patsyscented fun and drew a chair nearer the group. Beth resumed herembroidery with a demure smile that made Skim decide at once that "hepicked the pretty one."
Indeed, the decision did justice to his discretion. Beth De Graf was ararely beautiful girl and quite outshone her cousins in this respect.Louise might be attractive and Patsy fascinating; but Beth was the realbeauty of the trio, and the most charming trait in her character was herunconsciousness that she excelled in good looks.
So Skim stared hard at Beth, and answered the preliminary remarksaddressed to him by Patsy and Louise in a perfunctory manner.
"Won't you take off your gloves?" asked Louise, soberly. "It's so warmthis evening, you know."
The boy looked at his hands.
"It's sech a tarnal job to git 'em on agin," he replied.
"Don't put them on, then," advised Patsy. "Here in the country we areallowed to dispense with much unnecessary social etiquette."
"Air ye? Then off they come. I ain't much stuck on gloves, myself; butma she 'lowed that a feller goin' courtin' orter look like a sport."
A chorus of wild laughter, which greeted this speech, had the effect ofmaking Skim stare at the girls indignantly. He couldn't find anythingfunny in his remark; but there they sat facing him and utteringhysterical peals of merriment, until the tears ran down their cheeks.
Silently and with caution he removed the yellow gloves from his hands,and so gave the foolish creatures a chance "to laugh out theirblamed giggle."
But they were watching him, and saw that he was disconcerted. They hadno mind to ruin the enjoyment in store for them by offending theirguest, so they soon resumed a fitting gravity and began to assist theyouth to forget their rudeness.
"May I ask," said Patsy, very graciously, "which one of us you intend tofavor with your attentions?"
"I ain't much used to sech things," he replied, looking down at his bighands and growing a little red-faced. "P'raps I hadn't orter tell,before the rest o' ye."
"Oh, yes; do tell!" pleaded Louise. "We're so anxious to know."
"I don't s'pose it's right clever to pick an' choose when ye're all by,"said Skim, regaining confidence. "But ma, she 'lowed thet with threegals handy I orter git one on 'em, to say the least."
"If you got more than one," remarked Beth, calmly, "it would beillegal."
"Oh, one's enough," said Skim, with a grin. "Peggy says it's too many,an' a feller oughtn't to take his gal out'n a grab-bag."
"I should think not, indeed," returned Patsy. "But here are three of usopenly displayed, and unless you turn us all down as unworthy, it willbe necessary for you to make a choice."
"What foolishness are you girls up to now?" demanded Uncle John,catching a stray word from the other corner while engaged in a desperatestruggle with the Major.
"This is a time for you to keep quiet, Uncle," retorted Patsy, merrily."We've got important things to consider that are none of your affairs,whatever."
Skim reflected that he didn't want this one, except as a last resort.She was "too bossy."
"When I started out," he said, "I jest come a-courtin', as any fellermight do thet wasn't much acquainted. But ef I've got to settle down toone o' ye--"
He hesitated.
"Oh, you must really take one at a time, you know," asserted Louise."It's the only proper way."
"Then I'll start on thet dark-eyed one thet's a sewin'," he said,slowly.
Beth looked up from her work and smiled.
"Go ahead, Mr. Clark," she said, encouragingly. "My name is Beth. Hadyou forgotten it?"
"Call me Skim," he said, gently.
"Very well, Skim,--Now look here, Patsy Doyle, if you're going to sitthere and giggle you'll spoil everything. Mr. Clark wants to court, andit's getting late."
"P'raps I've went fur enough fer tonight," remarked Skim, uneasily."Next time they'll leave us alone, an' then----"
"Oh, don't postpone it, please!" begged Beth, giving the boy a demureglance from her soft brown eyes. "And don't mind my cousins. I don't."
"These things kain't be hurried," he said. "Si Merkle courted threeweeks afore he popped. He tol' me so."
"Then he was a very foolish man," declared Patsy, positively. "Just lookat Beth! She's dying to have you speak out. What's the use of waiting,when she knows why you are here?"
By this time Skim had been flattered to the extent of destroying anystray sense he might ever have possessed. His utter ignorance of girlsand their ways may have been partly responsible for his idiocy, or hismother's conviction that all that was necessary was for him to declarehimself in order to be accepted had misled him and induced him toabandon any native diffidence he might have had. Anyway, the boy fellinto the snare set by the mischievous young ladies without a suspicionof his impending fate.
"Miss Beth," said he, "ef yer willin', I'll marry ye; any time ye say. Iagreed t' help Dick Pearson with the harvestin', but I'll try to' gitNed Long to take my place, an' it don't matter much, nohow."
"But I couldn't have you break an engagement," cried Beth, hastily.
"Why not?"
"Oh, it wouldn't be right, at all. Mr. Pearson would never forgive me,"she asserted.
"Can't ye--"
"No; not before harvest, Skim. I couldn't think of it."
"But arterward--"
"No; I've resolved never to marry after harvest. So, as you're engaged,and I don't approve of breaking engagements, I must refuse yourproposition entirely."
Skim looked surprised; then perplexed; then annoyed.
"P'raps I didn't pop jest right," he murmured, growing red again.
"You popped beautifully," declared Patsy. "But Beth is very peculiar,and set in her ways. I'm afraid she wouldn't make you a goodwife, anyhow."
"Then p'raps the gal in blue----"
"No;" said Louise. "I have the same prejudices as my cousin. If youhadn't been engaged for the harvest I might have listened to you; butthat settles the matter definitely, as far as I am concerned."
Skim sighed.
"Ma'll be mad as a hornet ef I don't get any of ye," he remarked, sadly."She's paid Sam Cotting fer this courtin' suit, an' he won't take backthe gloves on no 'count arter they've been wore; an' thet'll set m
acrazy. Miss Patsy, ef yo' think ye could----"
"I'm sure I couldn't," said Patsy, promptly. "I'm awfully sorry to breakyour heart, Skim, dear, and ruin your future life, and make youmisanthropic and cynical, and spoil your mother's investment and makeher mad as a hornet. All this grieves me terribly; but I'll recover fromit, if you'll only give me time. And I hope you'll find a wife that willbe more congenial than I could ever be."
Skim didn't understand all these words, but the general tenor of thespeech was convincing, and filled him with dismay.
"Rich gals is tarnal skeerce in these parts," he said, regretfully.
Then they gave way again, and so lusty was the merriment that Uncle Johnand the Major abandoned their game and came across the room to discoverthe source of all this amusement.
"What's up, young women?" asked their Uncle, glancing from theirlaughing faces to the lowering, sullen one of the boy, who had only nowbegun to suspect that he was being "poked fun at."
"Oh, Uncle!" cried Patsy; "you've no idea how near you have been tolosing us. We have each had an offer of marriage within the lasthalf hour!"
"Dear me!" ejaculated Uncle John.
"It shows the young man's intelligence and good taste," said the Major,much amused. "But is it a Mormon ye are, sir, to want all three?"directing a keen glance at Skim.
"Naw, 'tain't," he returned, wholly disgusted with the outcome of hissuit. "All three got as't 'cause none of 'em's got sense enough t' knowa good thing when they seen it."
"But I do," said the Major, stoutly; "and I maintain that you're a goodthing, and always will be. I hope, sir, you'll call 'round and see me inBaltimore next year. I'll not be there, but ye can leave your card, justthe same."
"Please call again, sir," added Uncle John; "about October--just beforesnow flies."
The boy got up.
"I don't keer none," he said, defiantly. "It's all ma's fault, gittin'me laughed at, an' she won't hear the last of it in a hurry, nuther."
"Be gentle with her, Skim," suggested Beth, softly. "Remember she has toface the world with you by her side."
Having no retort for this raillery, which he felt rather thanunderstood, Skim seized his hat and fled. Then Patsy wiped the tearsfrom her eyes and said:
"Wasn't it grand, girls? I haven't had so much fun since I was born."