Page:Elizabeth Jordan--Tales of the city room.djvu/144

 a dancin' woman," he began. "I 've ben studyin' 'bout that sense ye spoke, an' I want to tell you 'uns haow I feel 'bout Her. You 'uns kin tell Her some day, if so be I cyan't. Andy told ye thet I'm goin out in th worl' t' find her. I aim t' do thet."

He stopped for a moment as if for comment from his listener, but she did not speak.

"Hit's a long way to N' York," he went on slowly, "en p'raps I cyan't git thar. P'raps if I did git thar she would n't hev me. I dunno. Our customs is differ't frum yourn. A man, he wuz a traveller, come yere oncet 'n tol' us about 'em. That wuz six years ago, but I haint fergot. He hed a picture uv Her, too, 'en he give it tuh me, 'cos he seed I liked it."

He stopped again. Miss Herrick was still silent, awaiting the end of the strange heart confidence. "Yere in the maountains," he resumed, "ef a man takes a liking to a gyrl he tells her so, en ef she's took a liking to him they build their cabin, 'n marry, 'n live in it, 'n air ez happy ez the good Lord lets 'em be. The's a lot uv comfort in puttin' up a cabin