ministers, maybe or something; and there's just this one thing takes
it out of 'em and brings 'em right down to business. Well, I never
could make out just what it is Bibbs wants to be, really; doesn't seem
he wants to be a minister exactly--he's so far-away you can't tell,
and he never SAYS--but I know this is goin' to get him right down to
common sense. Now, I don't say that Bibbs has got the idea in his
head yet--'r else he wouldn't be talkin' that fool-talk about nine
dollars a week bein' good enough for him to live on. But it's COMIN',
papa, and he'll JUMP for whatever you want to hand him out. He will!
And I can tell you this much, too: he'll want all the salary and
stock he can get hold of, and he'll hustle to keep gettin' more.
That girl's the kind that a young husband just goes crazy to give
things to! She's pretty and fine-lookin', and things look nice on
her, and I guess she'd like to have 'em about as well as the next.
And I guess she isn't gettin' many these days, either, and she'll be
pretty ready for the change. I saw her with her sleeves rolled up
at the kitchen window the other day, and Jackson told me yesterday
their cook left two weeks ago, and they haven't tried to hire another
one. He says her and her mother been doin' the housework a good
while, and now they're doin' the cookin,' too. 'Course Bibbs wouldn't
know that unless she's told him, and I reckon she wouldn't; she's kind
o' stiffish-lookin', and Bibbs is too up in the clouds to notice
anything like that for himself. They've never asked him to a meal
in the house, but he wouldn't notice that, either--he's kind of
innocent. Now I was thinkin'--you know, I don't suppose we've hardly
mentioned the girl's name at table since Jim went, but it seems to me
maybe if--"

Sheridan flung out his arms, uttering a sound half-groan, half-yawn.
"You're barkin' up the wrong tree! Go on back to bed, mamma!"