Jeff Briggs's Love Story

by Bret Harte

the States thar's fellows is willing to take thatsituation. I've heard," continued Bill, in a low, mysterious voice,as of one describing the habits of the Anthropophagi--"I've heard o'fellows ez call themselves men, sellin' of themselves to rich womenin that way. I've heard o' rich gals buyin' of men for their shape;sometimes--but thet's in furrin' kintries--for their pedigree! I'veheard o' fellows bein' in that business, and callin' themselves meninstead o' hosses! Ye ain't that kind o' man, Jeff. 'Tain't in yerblood. Yer father was a fool about women, and in course they ruined him,as they allus do the best men. It's on'y the fools and sneaks ez a womanever makes anythin' out of. When ye hear of a man a woman hez made,ye hears of a nincompoop. And when they does produce 'em in the wayo' nater, they ain't responsible for 'em, and sez they're the image o'their fathers! Ye ain't a man ez is goin' to trust yer fate to a woman!"

  "No," said Jeff darkly.

  "I reckoned not," said Bill, putting his hands in his pockets again. "Yemight if ye was one o' them kind o' fellows as kem up from 'Frisco withher to Sacramento. One o' them kind o' fellows ez could sling poetry andFrench and Latin to her--one of HER kind--but ye ain't! No, sir!"

  Unwise William of Yuba! In any other breast but Jeff's that random shotwould have awakened the irregular auxiliary of love--jealousy! But Jeff,being at once proud and humble, had neither vanity nor conceit, withoutwhich jealousy is impossible. Yet he winced a little, for he hadfeeling, and then said earnestly:

  "Do you think that opening you spoke of would hold for a day or twolonger?"

  "I reckon."

  "Well, then, I think I can settle up matters here my own way, and gowith you, Bill."

  He had risen, and yet hesitatingly kept his hand on the back of hischair. "Bill!"

  "Jeff!"

  "I want to ask you a question; speak up, and don't mind me, but say thetruth."

  Our crafty Ulysses, believing that he was about to be entrapped,ensconced himself in his pockets, cocked one eye, and said: "Go on,Jeff."

  "Was my father VERY bad?"

  Bill took his hands from his pockets. "Thar isn't a man ez crawls abovehis grave ez is worthy to lie in the same ground with him!"

  "Thank you, Bill. Good night; I'm going to turn in!"

  "Look yar, boy! G-d d--n it all, Jeff! what do ye mean?"

  There were two tears--twin sisters of those in his sweetheart's eyesthat afternoon--now standing in Jeff's!

  Bill caught both his hands in his own. Had they been of the Latin racethey would have, right honestly, taken each other in their arms, andperhaps kissed! Being Anglo-Saxons, they gripped each other's handshard, and one, as above stated, swore!

  When Jeff ascended to his room that night he went directly to his trunkand took out Miss Mayfield's slipper. Alack! during the day Aunt Sallyhad "put things to rights" in his room, and the trunk had been moved.This had somewhat disordered its contents, and Miss Mayfield's slippercontained a dozen shot from a broken Eley's cartridge, a few quininepills, four postage stamps, part of a coral earring which Jeff--on themost apocryphal authority--fondly believed belonged to his mother, whomhe had never seen, and a small silver school medal which Jeff had oncereceived for "good conduct," much to his own surprise, but which hestill religiously kept as evidence of former conventional character. Hecolored a little, rubbed the medal and earring ruefully on his sleeve,replaced them in his trunk, and then hastily emptied the rest of theslipper's contents on the floor. This done, he drew off his boots, and,gliding noiselessly down the stair, hung the slipper on the knob of MissMayfield's door, and glided back again without detection.

  Rolling himself in his blankets, he lay down on his bed. But not tosleep! Staringly wide awake, he at last felt the lulling of the windthat nightly shook his casement, and listened while the great, rambling,creaking, disjointed "Half-way House" slowly settled itself to repose.He thought of many things; of himself, of his past, of his future, butchiefly, I fear, of the pale proud face now sleeping contentedly in thechamber below him. He tossed with many plans and projects, more or lessimpracticable, and then began to doze. Whereat the moon, creeping inthe window, laid a cold white arm across him, and eventually dried a fewfoolish tears upon his sleeping lashes.

  IV.

  Aunt Sally was making pies in the kitchen the next morning when Jeffhesitatingly stole upon her. The moment was not a felicitous one.Pie-making was usually an aggressive pursuit with Aunt Sally, enteredinto severely, and prosecuted unto the bitter end. After watching her afew moments Jeff came up and placed his arms tenderly around her. Peoplevery much in love find relief, I am told, in this vicarious expression.

  "Aunty."

  "Well, Jeff! Thar, now--yer gittin' all dough!" Nevertheless, the hardface relaxed a little. Something of a smile stole round her mouth,showing what she might have been before theology and bitters hadsupplied the natural feminine longings.

  "Aunty dear!"

  "You--boy!"

  It WAS a boy's face--albeit bearded like the pard, with an extrafierceness in the mustaches--that looked upon hers. She could not helpbestowing a grim floury kiss upon it.

  "Well, what is it now?"

  "I'm thinking, aunty, it's high time you and me packed up our traps and'shook' this yar shanty, and located somewhere else." Jeff's voice wasostentatiously cheerful, but his eyes were a little anxious.

  "What for NOW?"

  Jeff hastily recounted his ill luck, and the various reasons--exceptingof course the dominant one--for his resolution.

  "And when do you kalkilate to go?"

  "If you'll look arter things here," hesitated Jeff, "I reckon I'll go upalong with Bill to-morrow, and look round a bit."

  "And how long do you reckon that gal would stay here after yar gone?"

  This was a new and startling idea to Jeff. But in his humility he sawnothing in it to flatter his conceit. Rather the reverse. He colored,and then said apologetically,--

  "I thought that you and Jinny could get along without me. The butcherwill pack the provisions over from the Fork."

  Laying down her rolling-pin, Aunt Sally turned upon Jeff withostentatious deliberation. "Ye ain't," she began slowly, "ez taking aman with wimmen ez your father was--that's a fact, Jeff Briggs! Theyused to say that no woman as he went for could get away from him. Butye don't mean to say yer think yer not good enough--such as ye are--forthis snip of an old maid, ez big as a gold dollar, and as yaller?"

  "Aunty," said Jeff, dropping his boyish manner, and his color assuddenly, "I'd rather ye wouldn't talk that way of Miss Mayfield. Yedon't know her; and there's times," he added, with a sigh, "ez I reckonye don't quite know ME either. That young lady, bein' sick, likes to belooked after. Any one can do that for her. She don't mind who it is. Shedon't care for me except for that, and," added Jeff humbly, "it's quitenatural."

  "I didn't say she did," returned Aunt Sally viciously; "but seeing ezyou've got an empty house yer on yer hands, and me a-slavin' here onjist nothin', if this gal, for the sake o' gallivantin' with ye for aspell, chooses to stay here and keep her family here, and pay highfor it, I don't see why it ain't yer duty to Providence and me to takeadvantage of it."

  Jeff raised his eyes to his aunt's face. For the first time it struckhim that she might be his father's sister and yet have no blood in herveins that answered to his. There are few shocks more startling andoverpowering to original natures than this sudden sense of loneliness.Jeff could not speak, but remained looking fiercely at her.

  Aunt Sally misinterpreted his silence, and returned to her work on thepies. "The gal ain't no fool," she continued, rolling out the crust asif she were laying down broad propositions. "SHE reckons on it too, ezif it was charged in the bill with the board and lodging. Why, didn'tshe say to me, last night, that she kalkilated afore she went away tobring up some friends from 'Frisco for a few days' visit? and didn't shesay, in that pipin', affected voice o' hers, 'I oughter make some returnfor yer kindness and yer nephew's kindness, Aunt Sally, by showingpeople that can help you, and keep your house full, how pleasant it isup
here.' She ain't no fool, with all her faintin's and dyin's away! No,Jeff Briggs. And if she wants to show ye off agin them city fellows ezshe knows, and ye ain't got spunk enough to stand up and show off withher--why"--she turned her head impatiently, but he was gone.

  If Jeff had ever wavered in his resolution he would have been steadyenough NOW.