Chapter XXXI - Page 2

swellin' around, Mr. Arkansas--I just--"

"I'm a liar am I! Ger-reat Caesar's ghost--"

"Oh, please, Mr. Arkansas, I never meant such a thing as that, I wish I
may die if I did. All the boys will tell you that I've always spoke well
of you, and respected you more'n any man in the house. Ask Smith. Ain't
it so, Smith? Didn't I say, no longer ago than last night, that for a
man that was a gentleman all the time and every way you took him, give me
Arkansas? I'll leave it to any gentleman here if them warn't the very
words I used. Come, now, Mr. Arkansas, le's take a drink--le's shake
hands and take a drink. Come up--everybody! It's my treat. Come up,
Bill, Tom, Bob, Scotty--come up. I want you all to take a drink with me
and Arkansas--old Arkansas, I call him--bully old Arkansas. Gimme your
hand agin. Look at him, boys--just take a look at him. Thar stands the
whitest man in America!--and the man that denies it has got to fight me,
that's all. Gimme that old flipper agin!"

They embraced, with drunken affection on the landlord's part and
unresponsive toleration on the part of Arkansas, who, bribed by a drink,
was disappointed of his prey once more. But the foolish landlord was so
happy to have escaped butchery, that he went on talking when he ought to
have marched himself out of danger. The consequence was that Arkansas
shortly began to glower upon him dangerously, and presently said:

"Lan'lord, will you p-please make that remark over agin if you please?"

"I was a-sayin' to Scotty that my father was up'ards of eighty year old
when he died."

"Was that all that you said?"

"Yes, that was all."

"Didn't say nothing but that?"

"No--nothing."

Then an uncomfortable silence.

Arkansas played with his glass a moment, lolling on his elbows on the
counter. Then he meditatively scratched his left shin with his right
boot, while the awkward silence continued. But presently he loafed away
toward the stove, looking dissatisfied; roughly shouldered two or three
men out of a comfortable position; occupied it himself, gave a sleeping
dog a kick that sent him howling under a bench, then spread his long legs
and his blanket-coat tails apart and proceeded to warm his back. In a
little while he fell to grumbling to himself, and soon he slouched back
to the bar and said:

"Lan'lord, what's your idea for rakin' up old personalities and blowin'
about your father? Ain't this company agreeable to you? Ain't it? If
this company ain't agreeable to you, p'r'aps we'd better leave. Is that
your idea? Is that what you're coming at?"

"Why bless your soul, Arkansas, I warn't thinking of such a thing. My
father and my mother--"

"Lan'lord, don't crowd a man! Don't do it. If nothing'll do you but a