{{huckfp206.jpg}}

"When I first see you, I says to myself, 'It's Mr. Wilks, sure, and he come

mighty near getting here in time.' But then I says again, 'No, I reckon it

ain't him, or else he wouldn't be paddling up the river.' You ain't him, arc

you?"

"No, my name's Blodgett -- Elexander Blodgett -- Reverend Elexander

Blodgett, I spose I must say, as I'm one o' the Lord's poor servants. But

still I'm jist as able to be sorry for Mr. Wilks for not arriving in time, all

the same, if he's missed anything by it -- which I hope he hasn't."

"Well, he don't miss any property by it, because he'll get that all right;

but he's missed seeing his brother Peter die -- which he mayn't mind, nobody

can tell as to that -- but his brother would a give anything in this world to

see him before he died; never talked about nothing else all these three weeks;

hadn't seen him since they was boys together -- and" hadn't ever seen his

brother William at all -- that's the deef and dumb one -- William ain't more

than thirty or thirty-five. Peter and George was the only ones that come out

here; George was the married brother; him and his wife both died last year.

Harvey and William's the only ones that's left now; and, as I was saying, they

haven't got here in time." ssssssssss

"Did anybody send 'em word?"

"Oh, yes; a mouth or two ago, when Peter was first took; because Peter

said then that he sorter felt like he warn't going to get well this time.

You see, he was pretty old, and George's g'yirls was too young to be much

company for him, except Mary Jane the red-headed one; and so he was

kinder lonesome after George and his wife died, and didn't seem to care much

to live. He most desperately wanted to see Harvey -- and William too, for that

matter -- because he was one of them kind that can't bear to make a will. He

left a letter behind for Harvey, and said he'd told in it where his money was

hid, and how he wanted the rest of the property divided up so George's g'yirls

would be all right -- for George didn't leave nothing. And that letter was all

they could get him to put a pen to." ssssssssss

"Why do you reckon Harvey don't come? Wher' does he live?"

"Oh, he lives in England -- Sheffield -- preaches there -- hasn't ever been in this

 [206]