Read Mistress Pat for Free Online Page B

knowing ye were coming.”
    â€œI’ll kindle one in a jiffy.”
    â€œOh, oh, thin ye’ll be smoked out. That fire has to be lit for an hour afore it’ll give over smoking. There do be something out av kilter wid the chimney. Long…Mr. Gardiner is maning to have it fixed.”
    â€œI’ll fix it myself. I worked with a mason for years. Down at the fox farm they had a bad chimney and I built it over in fine shape.”
    â€œDid it draw?” asked Judy skeptically.
    â€œDraw! Miss Plum, that chimney drew the cat clean up it one night. The poor animal was never seen again.”
    Judy subsided. Mr. Tillytuck possessed himself of his bag and his violin and his owl and his dog.
    â€œI’m ready, Miss Gardiner. And as for the matter of names, Miss Plum, the Prince of Wales called me Josiah the whole summer I worked on his ranch in Alberta. A very democratic young man. But if you can’t bring yourself to it plain Tillytuck will do for me. And if you’ve warts or anything like that on your hands”…Cuddles guiltily put a hand behind her…“I can cure them in a jiffy.”
    Judy primmed her mouth and took a high tone.
    â€œThank ye kindly but we do be knowing a few things at Silver Bush. Me grandmother did be taching me a charm for warts whin I was a girleen and it works rale well. Goodnight, Mister Tillytuck. I’m hoping yell be warm and slape well.”
    â€œI’ll be in the arms of old Murphy in short order,” assured Mr. Tillytuck.
    They heard Cuddles’ laughter floating back through the rain all the way to the granary. Evidently Mr. Tillytuck was amusing her.
    â€œCertainly he is peculiar,” said Pat. “But peculiar people give color to life, don’t they, Judy?”
    Cuddles ran in, her face sparkling and radiant from wind and rain.
    â€œIsn’t he a darling? He told me he belonged to one of the best families in Nova Scotia.”
    â€œAv which statement I have me doubts,” said Judy. “I’m thinking he was spaking symbolically, as he sez himself. And it didn’t use to be manners, taking yer story right out av yer mouth as ye heard him do to mesilf. But he sames a good-natured simple sort av cratur and likely we can put up wid him as long as our family animals can.”
    â€œHe thinks you’re wonderful, Judy. And he wishes you would call him Josiah.”
    â€œThat I’ll not thin. But I’m not saying I won’t be laving off the Mister after a day or two. It’s too much of a strain. Cuddles dear, to-morry I’ll be fixing up a bit av a charm for that liddle wart av yours. I’m knowing it shud av been attinded to long ago but what wid all these comings and goings and hirings it wint out av me head. Oh, oh, I’ll not be having any Mister Tillytuck wid a side-whisker casting up the fam’ly warts to me!”
    â€œI must write Hilary all about him,” laughed Pat. “He would delight in him. Oh, Judy, if Hilary could only drop in some of these November evenings as he used to do things would be perfect. It’s over two years now since he went away and it seems like a hundred. Is there any soup left for Sid, Judy?”
    â€œLoads and lashings av it. Was it to the dance at South Glen he was going?”
    â€œWherever he went he took Madge Robinson,” said Cuddles. “He’s giving her quite a rush now. All summer it was Sara Russell. I believe Sid is a dreadful flirt.”
    Pat smiled contentedly. There was safety in numbers. After all, Sid had never seemed really to have a serious notion of any girl since Bets had died. It pleased Pat to think he would be faithful to her sweet memory all his life…as she, Pat, would be. She would never have another intimate girl friend. She liked to think of herself as a happy old maid and Sid a happy old bachelor, living gaily together all their lives, loving and caring for Silver Bush, with Winnie and Cuddles