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Page 52
The object of these frivolous negotiations had meanwhile covered her head
with the blanket, from the folds of which issued shrill giggles. Sun
Dog, who had been listening intently with hand scooped to ear (he was
somewhat deaf), now precipitated himself into the discussion. Violently
thrusting his elder companion aside he commenced to harangue MacDavid in
an excited voice and with vehement gestures of disapprobation of the
whole proceedings. The trader translated swiftly:
"He says _Nemoyah_!--not to give the bottles to Many Drunks, as when he
gets full of _skutiawpw�_ he raises hell on th' reserve, an' there's no
livin' with him. Says he beats up his squaw an' starts in to scalp th'
dogs an' chickens."
"Shtop ut!" bawled Slavin, "d'ju hear, Yorkey? . . . shtoolin' th'
nitchie on tu commit a felony an' th' like, thataways!" He sniffed
disgustedly. "_Skutiawpw�_ an' squaws! . . . blarney me sowl! but ye've a
quare idea av a josh. 'Tis a credit y'are tu th' Ould Counthry, an' no
error. I do not wondher ye left ut."
"Sh-sh!" said that gentleman soothingly, "coarsely put, Burke! coarsely
put! . . . Say Wine and Women, guv'nor! Wine and Women! If you were in
India, Burke, they'd make you Bazaar-Sergeant--put you in charge of the
morals of the regiment. Both items are all right--always providing you
don't get a lady like Misthress Lee for a chaser. How'd you like to be
in Nick's shoes? What 'shteps' would you take?"
Slavin stared at his tormentor, blankly, a moment. "Shteps?" he
ejaculated sharply, "fwhat shteps?" . . . He leant back with a fervent
sigh and softly rubbed his huge hands together. "Long wans, avick! . . .
eyah, d----d long wans, begorrah!"
Many Drunks now realizing that he was merely the victim of a joke,
scowled in turn upon Yorke. Muttering something to MacDavid he backed up
against the wall and, squatting down, proceeded philosophically to fill
his pipe.
"What's that he said?" queried Yorke of the interpreter, "I couldn't
catch it."
The latter grinned. "He says--of all the white men he's ever met in his
time, Stamixotokon[1] and my self are the only ones he's ever known to
tell th' truth."
"It's my belief the beggar'd flirt with Mrs. Lee, himself, if he only got
the chance" said Redmond laconically, "d'you recollect that day he picked
her parcel up for her--how nice she was to him?"
"Eyah," said Slavin darkly, "I remimber ut! That man"--he darted an
accusing finger at Yorke--"wud thry tu come th' Don Jewan wid anything
wid a shkirrt on--from coast to coast. _Flirrt_? Yeh're tellin' th'
trute, bhoy, yeh're tellin' th' trute! He'd a-made a good undhershtudy
for ould Nobby Guy, down Regina."
He settled himself comfortably and lit his pipe. "Eyah, th' good ould
days, th' good ould days!" he resumed reminiscently, between puffs, "Hark
now till I tell ye th' tale av ould Nobby!"
"Is that the man they used to Josh about, down Regina?" enquired Redmond.
"Used to say 'I'm a man of few words'?"
Slavin nodded affirmatively. "That's him, Sarjint in charrge av th' town
station he was--years back. This is--whin I was Corp'ril at
headquarthers. A foine big roosther av a man was Nobby, wid a mighty
pleasant way wid um--'specially wid th' ladies. Wan night--blarney me
sowl! Will I iver forghet ut? Nobby 'phones up th' Gyard-room
reporthin' th' Iroquois Hotel on fire, an' requestin' th' O.C. for a
shquad av men tu help fight ut, an' kape th' crowd back. So down we
wint, a bunch av us. It sure was a bad fire all right. No lives was
lost, but th' whole shebang was burnt tu th' ground. Kapin' th' crowd
back was our hardest job. Du fwhat we cud, we cud not make some av th'
silly fules kape back clear av th' danger-zone--wimmin an' all, bedad!
"By and by, a section av the wall tumbles an' quite a bunch av people got
badly hurt--Nobby amongst thim. We dhragged thim out as quick as we cud
an' laid them forninst th' wall av a buildin' near-by--awaithin' some
stretcher-bearers. Nobby'd got his leg bruk, but he seemed chipper
enough an' chewed th' rag wid us awhile. Next tu him was a
wumman--cryin' something pitiful--she'd got her leg bruk, tu. Nobby
rised him up on his elbow an' lukked at her.
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