minmarn/Gone_with_the_wind · Datasets at Hugging Face

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eating supper?"

"Miz Wilkes, you got more sense than most women but you gits
flurried right easy," said Archie. "And as for that fool nigger,
Pork, he ain't got no bizness with them thar contraptions. He'd
set them afire in no time. They are--right pretty," he conceded.
"I'll hang them for you, whilst you and Mr. Wilkes are eatin'."

"Oh, Archie, how kind of you!" Melanie turned childlike eyes of
gratitude and dependence upon him. "I don't know what I should do
without you. Do you suppose you could go put the candles in them
now, so we'd have that much out of the way?"

"Well, I could, p'raps," said Archie ungraciously and stumped off
toward the cellar stairs.

"There's more ways of killing a cat than choking him to death with
butter," giggled Melanie when the whiskered old man had thumped
down the stairs. "I had intended all along for Archie to put up
those lanterns but you know how he is. He won't do a thing if you
ask him to. And now we've got him out from underfoot for a while.
The darkies are so scared of him they just won't do any work when
he's around, breathing down their necks."

"Melly, I wouldn't have that old desperado in my house," said
Scarlett crossly. She hated Archie as much as he hated her and
they barely spoke. Melanie's was the only house in which he would
remain if she were present. And even in Melanie's house, he stared
at her with suspicion and cold contempt. "He'll cause you trouble,
mark my words."

"Oh, he's harmless if you flatter him and act like you depend on
him," said Melanie. "And he's so devoted to Ashley and Beau that I
always feel safe having him around."

"You mean he's so devoted to you, Melly," said India, her cold face
relaxing into a faintly warm smile as her gaze rested fondly on her
sister-in-law. "I believe you're the first person that old ruffian
has loved since his wife--er--since his wife. I think he'd really
like for somebody to insult you, so he could kill them to show his
respect for you."

"Mercy! How you run on, India!" said Melanie blushing. "He thinks
I'm a terrible goose and you know it."

"Well, I don't see that what that smelly old hill-billy thinks is
of any importance," said Scarlett abruptly. The very thought of
how Archie had sat in judgment upon her about the convicts always
enraged her. "I have to go now. I've got to go get dinner and
then go by the store and pay off the clerks and go by the lumber
yard and pay the drivers and Hugh Elsing."

"Oh, are you going to the lumber yard?" asked Melanie. "Ashley is
coming in to the yard in the late afternoon to see Hugh. Can you
possibly hold him there till five o'clock? If he comes home
earlier he'll be sure to catch us finishing up a cake or something
and then he won't be surprised at all."

Scarlett smiled inwardly, good temper restored.

"Yes, I'll hold him," she said.

As she spoke, India's pale lashless eyes met hers piercingly. She
always looks at me so oddly when I speak of Ashley, thought
Scarlett.

"Well, hold him there as long as you can after five o'clock," said
Melanie. "And then India will drive down and pick him up. . . .
Scarlett, do come early tonight. I don't want you to miss a minute
of the reception."

As Scarlett rode home she thought sullenly: "She doesn't want me
to miss a minute of the reception, eh? Well then, why didn't she
invite me to receive with her and India and Aunt Pitty?"

Generally, Scarlett would not have cared whether she received at
Melly's piddling parties or not. But this was the largest party
Melanie had ever given and Ashley's birthday party too, and
Scarlett longed to stand by Ashley's side and receive with him.
But she knew why she had not been invited to receive. Even had she
not known it, Rhett's comment on the subject had been frank enough.

"A Scallawag receive when all the prominent ex-Confederates and
Democrats are going to be there? Your notions are as enchanting as
they are muddle headed. It's only because of Miss Melly's loyalty
that you are invited at all."

Scarlett dressed with more than usual care that afternoon for her
trip to the store and the lumber yard, wearing the new dull-green
changeable taffeta frock that looked lilac in some lights and the
new pale-green bonnet, circled about with dark-green plumes. If
only Rhett would let her cut bangs and frizzle them on her
forehead, how much better this bonnet would look! But he had
declared that he would shave her whole head if she banged her
forelocks. And these days he acted so atrociously he really might
do it.

It was a lovely afternoon, sunny but not too hot, bright but not
glaring, and the warm breeze that rustled the trees along Peachtree
Street made the plumes on Scarlett's bonnet dance. Her heart

eating supper?"

"Miz Wilkes, you got more sense than most women but you gits

flurried right easy," said Archie. "And as for that fool nigger,

Pork, he ain't got no bizness with them thar contraptions. He'd

set them afire in no time. They are--right pretty," he conceded.

"I'll hang them for you, whilst you and Mr. Wilkes are eatin'."

"Oh, Archie, how kind of you!" Melanie turned childlike eyes of

gratitude and dependence upon him. "I don't know what I should do

without you. Do you suppose you could go put the candles in them

now, so we'd have that much out of the way?"

"Well, I could, p'raps," said Archie ungraciously and stumped off

toward the cellar stairs.

"There's more ways of killing a cat than choking him to death with

butter," giggled Melanie when the whiskered old man had thumped

down the stairs. "I had intended all along for Archie to put up

those lanterns but you know how he is. He won't do a thing if you

ask him to. And now we've got him out from underfoot for a while.

The darkies are so scared of him they just won't do any work when

he's around, breathing down their necks."

"Melly, I wouldn't have that old desperado in my house," said

Scarlett crossly. She hated Archie as much as he hated her and

they barely spoke. Melanie's was the only house in which he would

remain if she were present. And even in Melanie's house, he stared

at her with suspicion and cold contempt. "He'll cause you trouble,

mark my words."

"Oh, he's harmless if you flatter him and act like you depend on

him," said Melanie. "And he's so devoted to Ashley and Beau that I

always feel safe having him around."

"You mean he's so devoted to you, Melly," said India, her cold face

relaxing into a faintly warm smile as her gaze rested fondly on her

sister-in-law. "I believe you're the first person that old ruffian

has loved since his wife--er--since his wife. I think he'd really

like for somebody to insult you, so he could kill them to show his

respect for you."

"Mercy! How you run on, India!" said Melanie blushing. "He thinks

I'm a terrible goose and you know it."

"Well, I don't see that what that smelly old hill-billy thinks is

of any importance," said Scarlett abruptly. The very thought of

how Archie had sat in judgment upon her about the convicts always

enraged her. "I have to go now. I've got to go get dinner and

then go by the store and pay off the clerks and go by the lumber

yard and pay the drivers and Hugh Elsing."

"Oh, are you going to the lumber yard?" asked Melanie. "Ashley is

coming in to the yard in the late afternoon to see Hugh. Can you

possibly hold him there till five o'clock? If he comes home

earlier he'll be sure to catch us finishing up a cake or something

and then he won't be surprised at all."

Scarlett smiled inwardly, good temper restored.

"Yes, I'll hold him," she said.

As she spoke, India's pale lashless eyes met hers piercingly. She

always looks at me so oddly when I speak of Ashley, thought

Scarlett.

"Well, hold him there as long as you can after five o'clock," said

Melanie. "And then India will drive down and pick him up. . . .

Scarlett, do come early tonight. I don't want you to miss a minute

of the reception."

As Scarlett rode home she thought sullenly: "She doesn't want me

to miss a minute of the reception, eh? Well then, why didn't she

invite me to receive with her and India and Aunt Pitty?"

Generally, Scarlett would not have cared whether she received at

Melly's piddling parties or not. But this was the largest party

Melanie had ever given and Ashley's birthday party too, and

Scarlett longed to stand by Ashley's side and receive with him.

But she knew why she had not been invited to receive. Even had she

not known it, Rhett's comment on the subject had been frank enough.

"A Scallawag receive when all the prominent ex-Confederates and

Democrats are going to be there? Your notions are as enchanting as

they are muddle headed. It's only because of Miss Melly's loyalty

that you are invited at all."

Scarlett dressed with more than usual care that afternoon for her

trip to the store and the lumber yard, wearing the new dull-green

changeable taffeta frock that looked lilac in some lights and the

new pale-green bonnet, circled about with dark-green plumes. If

only Rhett would let her cut bangs and frizzle them on her

forehead, how much better this bonnet would look! But he had

declared that he would shave her whole head if she banged her

forelocks. And these days he acted so atrociously he really might

do it.

It was a lovely afternoon, sunny but not too hot, bright but not

glaring, and the warm breeze that rustled the trees along Peachtree

Street made the plumes on Scarlett's bonnet dance. Her heart