"What are you goin' to do with him, Auntie?" she asked."He must stay here, mustn't he?""Course he must.I'll never trust him out of my sight again.He ain't competent to take care of himself and so I'll have to take care of him.Well," with a sigh, "it'll only be natural, that's all.I've been used to takin' care of somebody all my days.Iwonder how 'twould seem to have somebody take care of me for a change? Not that there's liable to be anybody doin' it," she added hastily.
"Jedediah might be useful to work about the place here," said Emily."You will always need a hired man, you know.""Yes, but I don't need two, and I couldn't discharge Kenelm on Imogene's account.What that girl ever got engaged to that old image for is more'n I can make out or ever shall."Emily smiled."I shouldn't worry about Imogene," she said."Ithink she knows perfectly well what she is about.""Maybe so, but if she does, then her kind of knowledge is different from mine.If I was goin' to marry anybody in that family 'twould be Hannah; she's the most man of the two."Imogene herself came down a few minutes later.She was much surprised to find her mistress and Miss Howes dressed and in the kitchen.Also she was very curious.
"Who's that man," she asked; "the one in the next room to mine, up attic? Is he a new boarder? He must have come awful late.Iheard you and him talkin' in the middle of the night.Who is he?"When told the story of Jedediah's return she was greatly excited.
"Why, it's just like somethin' in a story!" she cried."Long-lost folks are always comin' back in stories.And comin' Christmas Eve makes it all the better.Lordy-- There, I ain't said that for weeks and weeks! Excuse me, Mrs.Thankful.I WON'T say it again.
But--but what are we goin' to do with him? Is he goin' to stay here for good?"Thankful answered that she supposed he was, he had no other place to stay.
"Is he rich? He ought to be.Folks in stories always come home rich after they've run off.""Well, this one didn't.He missed connections, somehow.Rich!
No," drily, "he ain't rich."
"Well, what will he do? Will we have to take care of him--free, Imean? Excuse me for buttin' in, ma'am, but it does seem as if we had enough on our hands without takin' another free boarder."Thankful went into the dining-room.Emily, when the question was repeated to her, suggested that, possibly, Jedediah might work about the place, take care of the live-stock and of the garden, when there was one.
Imogene reflected."Hum!" she mused."We don't need two hired hands, that's a sure thing.You mean he'll take Kenelm's job?""That isn't settled, so you mustn't speak of it.I know my cousin will be very sorry to let Kenelm go, largely on your account, Imogene.""On my account?"
"Why, yes.You and he are engaged to be married and of course you like to have him here."Imogene burst out laughing."Don't you worry about that, Miss Emily," she said."I shan't, and I don't think Kenelm will, either."Breakfast was ready at last and they were just sitting down to the table--it had been decided not to call Jedediah or Mr.Cobb--when Georgie appeared.The boy had crept downstairs, his small head filled with forebodings; but the sight of the knobby stocking and the heap of presents sent his fears flying and he burst into the room with a shriek of joy.One by one the packages were unwrapped and, with each unwrapping, the youngster's excitement rose.
"Gee!" he cried, as he sat in the middle of the heap of toys and brown paper and looked about him."Gee! They're all here;everything I wanted--but that air-gun.I don't care, though.
Maybe I'll get that next Christmas.Or maybe Cap'n Bangs'll give it to me, anyhow.He gives me most anything, if I tease for it."Thankful shook her head."You see, Georgie," she said, "it pays to be a good boy.If Santa had caught you hidin' under that sofa and watchin' for him last night you might not have got any of these nice things."Georgie did not answer immediately.When he did it was in a rather doubtful tone.
"There ain't any soot on 'em, anyhow," he observed."And they ain't wet, either."Imogene clapped her hand to her mouth and hurried from the room.
"You can't fool that kid much," she whispered to Emily afterward.
"He's the smartest kid ever I saw.I'll keep out of his way for a while; I don't want to have to answer his questions."There were other presents besides those given to Georgie; presents for Emily from Thankful, and for Thankful from Emily, and for Imogene from both.There was nothing costly, of course, but no one cared for that.
As they were beginning breakfast Jedediah appeared.His garments, which had been drying by the kitchen stove all night and which Imogene had deposited in a heap at his bedroom door, were wrinkled, but his face shone from the vigorous application of soap and water and, as his sister said afterward, "You could see his complexion without diggin' for it, and that was somethin'."His manner was subdued and he was very, very polite and anxious to please, but his appetite was in good order.Introduced to Imogene he expressed himself as pleased to meet her.Georgie he greeted with some hesitation; evidently the memory of his midnight encounter with the boy embarrassed him.But Georgie, when he learned that the shabby person whom he was told to call "Uncle Jed"was, although only an imitation Santa Claus, a genuine gold-hunter and traveler who had seen real Esquimaux and polar bears, warmed to his new relative immediately.
When the meal was over Jedediah made what was, for him, an amazing suggestion.
"Now," he said, "I cal'late I'd better be gettin' to work, hadn't I? What'll I do first, Thankful?"Mrs.Barnes stared at him."Work?" she repeated."What do you mean?""I mean I want to be doin' somethin'--somethin' to help, you know.
I don't cal'late to stay around here and loaf.No, SIR!"Thankful drew a long breath."All right, Jed," she said."You can go out in the barn and feed the horse if you want to.Kenelm--Mr.
