Page:Caroline Lockhart--The Fighting Shepherdess.djvu/77

 heart sank, for his face told her the result without asking.

Toomey set Uncle Jasper's wedding gift upon the dining room table with disrespectful violence.

" You must be crazy to think I could sell that in Prouty!You should have known better I "

" Didn't anybody want it, Jap? " Mrs. Toomey asked timidly.

"Want it?" angrily. "'Tinhorn' thought It was some kind of a tony cuspidor, and a round-up cook offered me a dollar and a half for it to set bread sponge in,"

" Never mind," soothingly, " I'm sure Mrs. Sudds will take the teapot"

"We can't live all winter on a teapot," he answered gloomily.

" But you're sure to get into something pretty quick now."

"When I land, I'll land big— I'll land with both feet," he responded more cheerfully.

"Of course, you will — I never doubt it." Mrs. Toomey endeavoured to make her tone convincing. "Let's have tea in the heirloom before we part with it," she suggested brightly. " It's never been used that I can remember.' '

" It's ugly enough to be valuable," Toomey observed, eyeing the teapot as she took it from the top of the bookcase.

" Solid, nearly, and came over in the Mayflower Mrs. Toomey replied proudly. " We'll have tea and toast and codfish."

"The information is superfluous." Toomey sniffed the air and made a wry face. '* I'd as soon eat bill poster's paste as codfish,"