The Jack-Knife Man

s and closed his mouth tightly. He had understated the distance to Widow Potter's when he had said it was "just across." In fair weather and daylight he often cut across the corn-fi

but a word from Peter silenced him and the dog fell behind obediently but watchfully, and follo

. "I got a gun in here, and I ain't afraid to

gh to be heard above the wind. "I want to

She did not have a gun, but she held a stove poker. When sh

ormin' for eggs this time of night when your boat's been in the cove nobody knows how long

it. At all times he feared Mrs. Potter, but esp

Potter," he said apologetically. "If I hadn't, I wo

r feet and the food out of your mouth to feed any good-for-nothing that come camping on yo

Peter meekly. "I wouldn't ask them

d I hate to have 'em fed to tramps. How many do you want to buy?" Peter shifted from one foot to another uncomfortably. "Well, now, I'm wh

will be paid for, in eggs or money, and not until it is sawed. I'm not going t

mile and ignored

Only, there's a small boy amongst the company that dropped in on me and he's only about so high-" Peter showed a height that would have been sm

Mrs. Potter. "If there is a child down

ut even a dog that size to bed hungry. So, if you could

t and her cheeks hollow, and she had a strong chin for a woman, but the downward twist of discouragement that had marked her mouth during her later married years had already d

I will. She's a real good clock. I paid eighty cents for her when she was new, and I

look at the clock.

, Peter Lane! Pawnin' your goods and chattels! That

er and a handful of coffee," said Peter, "I'll leave the clock right here as security tha

e clock in her hand

u say that boy

dge. He's a real nice little

the clock on h

ieve a word of it. Who els

isht you could see that little feller. Maybe I'll

you want to eat, but you can't come over me with no story about visitors bringin' you children on a ni

he result. When, once or twice before, he had looked into her eyes and smiled in this way-unthinkingly-she had fluttered and trembled like a bird in the presence of an overmastering fascination, and Peter

the widow drew in

eggs be all you want?

e some bread and butter. He 'specially asked for butter,"

ou 're doing now, but there ain't no way of telling. If so be you have got a boy down there I don't want him to go hungry, but if it's just some worthless tramp, I hope these eggs choke him. You ain't got a mite of common sense in you. You 're too soft, and that's why you don't get on. You'd come up here to-morrow and do a

aid Peter

ticing slices from a big loaf and

jam on this bread?"

nk you!"

you had a wife and she was any account you'd have bread and jam when boys come to see you. But I do pity the woman that gets y

smiled on Mrs. Potter something like this usually resulted and that was

married at all," he said. "

ool woman wouldn't take you," snapped Mrs. Potter. "Look at

bread and jam, trusting its prep

wrapped the slices of bread in a clean sheet of paper from her table drawer, fo

clean white eggs into his pocket. He want

here about the time I get into bed, routing me out for more victuals. If I had a husband, and he was like you, and he had a mind to f

nd too much on her alarm to get you up. I can't say she's regulated

the door, closing it behind him. The widow held the clock in her hand fo

she said, "and that ain't saying much for either of y

the sleeve of his jacket, but the woman had dropped back on the bunk and her eyes were closed. She

for you. I'm a fair to middling fried-egg cook. Son, you let me get that hook out of you, and then see if you can eat five o

self," the b

t such good neighbors. It's almost impossible to keep them from forcing more eggs and butter and such things on me than I'd know what to do with. 'Just come on up when you want anything,' they are always saying,

to fry the eggs in, and he worked as he talked, breaking the egg

or two beyond the railroad, and seems as if she couldn't do enough for me. She just lays h

s rest on Peter some

hungry, but I d

as if he had been reproved. "You'll have to excuse me for boiling it in the coffee-pot, I've

e the clock?" aske

dened und

w that clock into the river for I don't know how long. Unless you are used to that clock you just can't sleep where she is. 'Rattelty bang!' she goes just whenever she takes

eal the clock,

ce eggs. I hope, ma'am, you don't think I had any such notion as that. When

," said the woman. "Y

look at it t

if I propped you up with the pillow a little better. I'll lay this extry blanket on the foo

g up," said

Peter. "I often get them when I get overto

our or so," said the woman listlessly. "Then

firmly. "You 're going to stay right here. You won't discommode me a

rward deck so the boy might get in no more trouble with the hooks. Then he removed the shells from his sh

nd nice. There's more wood there by the stove, and before I come in in the morning I'll knock on the door, so I gu

the woman. "If you will just g

to stop running until he was far up the railway track. Then he realized, by the chill of the sleety rain

that woman sca

the yard behind the barn, where a haystack stood. He was trembling with cold by this time, and wet through, and the water froze stiff in his coat cuffs, but he dug deep into the base of the haystack and crawled i