Page:Teeftallow-1926.djvu/70

A silence fell between the two room mates. Abner experienced a warm feeling toward Tug at this strong moral stand which his companion had developed so unexpectedly. To get away from the emotional topic he asked, "Where you goin' to-night, Tug?"

"Oh—out ramblin'."

A certain reticence in this expression told Abner that his room mate was going to Squire Meredith's for the evening. Tug began working at his automatic again.

Abner looked at the weapon and presently asked delicately, "D'reckon you'll need yore gun, Tug?"

"Never can tell, the boy may take a notion to rock me in," answered Mr. Beavers indifferently.

This referred to a custom in Lane County of the young men of the neighbourhood waylaying a suitor and chasing him away from his sweetheart's home with stones. The customary retort to this demonstration was for the swain to draw a pistol and fire it into the darkness. The assailants then ran away. If the suitor had no pistol, all he could do was to run and trust Providence to protect him from the stones.

Mr. Tug Beavers cleaned and loaded his pistol; then, having performed what one might call the drudgery of social life in the hill country, he brought up water and tub and bathed. He put on his Sunday suit, and for a moment hesitated between his green tie and his red one. Through some new-born reticence aroused in him by the charms of Miss Meredith he finally selected the green one and had Abner tie it. Mr. Beavers never could tie his own four-in-hand because he was used to tying hame-strings, which is like tying a four-in-hand from the front. His own tie was a four-in-hand as tied from behind. This reversed position always threw Mr. Beavers into the greatest confusion, and tying his own tie became an impossibility. By the same token he tied an extremely neat scarf around Abner's neck. The two young men exchanged these little services regularly.

When Mr. Beavers was gone Abner continued in the hot