minmarn/Gone_with_the_wind · Datasets at Hugging Face

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"Jeems!"

"Suh?"

"You heard what we were talking to Miss Scarlett about?"

"Nawsuh, Mist' Brent! Huccome you think Ah be spyin' on w'ite
folks?"

"Spying, my God! You darkies know everything that goes on. Why,
you liar, I saw you with my own eyes sidle round the corner of the
porch and squat in the cape jessamine bush by the wall. Now, did
you hear us say anything that might have made Miss Scarlett mad--
or hurt her feelings?"

Thus appealed to, Jeems gave up further pretense of not having
overheard the conversation and furrowed his black brow.

"Nawsuh, Ah din' notice y'all say anything ter mek her mad. Look
ter me lak she sho glad ter see you an' sho had missed you, an'
she cheep along happy as a bird, tell 'bout de time y'all got ter
talkin' 'bout Mist' Ashley an' Miss Melly Hamilton gittin'
mah'ied. Den she quiet down lak a bird w'en de hawk fly ober."

The twins looked at each other and nodded, but without comprehension.

"Jeems is right. But I don't see why," said Stuart. "My Lord!
Ashley don't mean anything to her, 'cept a friend. She's not
crazy about him. It's us she's crazy about."

Brent nodded an agreement.

"But do you suppose," he said, "that maybe Ashley hadn't told her
he was going to announce it tomorrow night and she was mad at him
for not telling her, an old friend, before he told everybody else?
Girls set a big store on knowing such things first."

"Well, maybe. But what if he hadn't told her it was tomorrow? It
was supposed to be a secret and a surprise, and a man's got a
right to keep his own engagement quiet, hasn't he? We wouldn't
have known it if Miss Melly's aunt hadn't let it out. But
Scarlett must have known he was going to marry Miss Melly
sometime. Why, we've known it for years. The Wilkes and
Hamiltons always marry their own cousins. Everybody knew he'd
probably marry her some day, just like Honey Wilkes is going to
marry Miss Melly's brother, Charles."

"Well, I give it up. But I'm sorry she didn't ask us to supper.
I swear I don't want to go home and listen to Ma take on about us
being expelled. It isn't as if this was the first time."

"Maybe Boyd will have smoothed her down by now. You know what a
slick talker that little varmint is. You know he always can
smooth her down."

"Yes, he can do it, but it takes Boyd time. He has to talk around
in circles till Ma gets so confused that she gives up and tells
him to save his voice for his law practice. But he ain't had time
to get good started yet. Why, I'll bet you Ma is still so excited
about the new horse that she'll never even realize we're home
again till she sits down to supper tonight and sees Boyd. And
before supper is over she'll be going strong and breathing fire.
And it'll be ten o'clock before Boyd gets a chance to tell her
that it wouldn't have been honorable for any of us to stay in
college after the way the Chancellor talked to you and me. And
it'll be midnight before he gets her turned around to where she's
so mad at the Chancellor she'll be asking Boyd why he didn't shoot
him. No, we can't go home till after midnight."

The twins looked at each other glumly. They were completely
fearless of wild horses, shooting affrays and the indignation of
their neighbors, but they had a wholesome fear of their red-haired
mother's outspoken remarks and the riding crop that she did not
scruple to lay across their breeches.

"Well, look," said Brent. "Let's go over to the Wilkes. Ashley
and the girls'll be glad to have us for supper."

Stuart looked a little discomforted.

"No, don't let's go there. They'll be in a stew getting ready for
the barbecue tomorrow and besides--"

"Oh, I forgot about that," said Brent hastily. "No, don't let's
go there."

They clucked to their horses and rode along in silence for a
while, a flush of embarrassment on Stuart's brown cheeks. Until
the previous summer, Stuart had courted India Wilkes with the
approbation of both families and the entire County. The County
felt that perhaps the cool and contained India Wilkes would have a
quieting effect on him. They fervently hoped so, at any rate.
And Stuart might have made the match, but Brent had not been
satisfied. Brent liked India but he thought her mighty plain and
tame, and he simply could not fall in love with her himself to
keep Stuart company. That was the first time the twins' interest
had ever diverged, and Brent was resentful of his brother's
attentions to a girl who seemed to him not at all remarkable.

Then, last summer at a political speaking in a grove of oak trees

"Jeems!"

"Suh?"

"You heard what we were talking to Miss Scarlett about?"

"Nawsuh, Mist' Brent! Huccome you think Ah be spyin' on w'ite

folks?"

"Spying, my God! You darkies know everything that goes on. Why,

you liar, I saw you with my own eyes sidle round the corner of the

porch and squat in the cape jessamine bush by the wall. Now, did

you hear us say anything that might have made Miss Scarlett mad--

or hurt her feelings?"

Thus appealed to, Jeems gave up further pretense of not having

overheard the conversation and furrowed his black brow.

"Nawsuh, Ah din' notice y'all say anything ter mek her mad. Look

ter me lak she sho glad ter see you an' sho had missed you, an'

she cheep along happy as a bird, tell 'bout de time y'all got ter

talkin' 'bout Mist' Ashley an' Miss Melly Hamilton gittin'

mah'ied. Den she quiet down lak a bird w'en de hawk fly ober."

The twins looked at each other and nodded, but without comprehension.

"Jeems is right. But I don't see why," said Stuart. "My Lord!

Ashley don't mean anything to her, 'cept a friend. She's not

crazy about him. It's us she's crazy about."

Brent nodded an agreement.

"But do you suppose," he said, "that maybe Ashley hadn't told her

he was going to announce it tomorrow night and she was mad at him

for not telling her, an old friend, before he told everybody else?

Girls set a big store on knowing such things first."

"Well, maybe. But what if he hadn't told her it was tomorrow? It

was supposed to be a secret and a surprise, and a man's got a

right to keep his own engagement quiet, hasn't he? We wouldn't

have known it if Miss Melly's aunt hadn't let it out. But

Scarlett must have known he was going to marry Miss Melly

sometime. Why, we've known it for years. The Wilkes and

Hamiltons always marry their own cousins. Everybody knew he'd

probably marry her some day, just like Honey Wilkes is going to

marry Miss Melly's brother, Charles."

"Well, I give it up. But I'm sorry she didn't ask us to supper.

I swear I don't want to go home and listen to Ma take on about us

being expelled. It isn't as if this was the first time."

"Maybe Boyd will have smoothed her down by now. You know what a

slick talker that little varmint is. You know he always can

smooth her down."

"Yes, he can do it, but it takes Boyd time. He has to talk around

in circles till Ma gets so confused that she gives up and tells

him to save his voice for his law practice. But he ain't had time

to get good started yet. Why, I'll bet you Ma is still so excited

about the new horse that she'll never even realize we're home

again till she sits down to supper tonight and sees Boyd. And

before supper is over she'll be going strong and breathing fire.

And it'll be ten o'clock before Boyd gets a chance to tell her

that it wouldn't have been honorable for any of us to stay in

college after the way the Chancellor talked to you and me. And

it'll be midnight before he gets her turned around to where she's

so mad at the Chancellor she'll be asking Boyd why he didn't shoot

him. No, we can't go home till after midnight."

The twins looked at each other glumly. They were completely

fearless of wild horses, shooting affrays and the indignation of

their neighbors, but they had a wholesome fear of their red-haired

mother's outspoken remarks and the riding crop that she did not

scruple to lay across their breeches.

"Well, look," said Brent. "Let's go over to the Wilkes. Ashley

and the girls'll be glad to have us for supper."

Stuart looked a little discomforted.

"No, don't let's go there. They'll be in a stew getting ready for

the barbecue tomorrow and besides--"

"Oh, I forgot about that," said Brent hastily. "No, don't let's

go there."

They clucked to their horses and rode along in silence for a

while, a flush of embarrassment on Stuart's brown cheeks. Until

the previous summer, Stuart had courted India Wilkes with the

approbation of both families and the entire County. The County

felt that perhaps the cool and contained India Wilkes would have a

quieting effect on him. They fervently hoped so, at any rate.

And Stuart might have made the match, but Brent had not been

satisfied. Brent liked India but he thought her mighty plain and

tame, and he simply could not fall in love with her himself to

keep Stuart company. That was the first time the twins' interest

had ever diverged, and Brent was resentful of his brother's

attentions to a girl who seemed to him not at all remarkable.

Then, last summer at a political speaking in a grove of oak trees