Read Online The Beyonders by Manly Wade Wellman, Lou Feck - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Manly Wade Wellman, Lou Feck
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creek. As Crispin watched, Gander Eye threw something that struck the water with a bright splash, then turned and came back through the yard. He saw Crispin and lifted a hand in greeting.
"How you, Jim?" he called. "Glad to see you. Come in the house and stay a week."
Crispin sat down on the back stoop, and Gander Eye came to sit with him.
"What were you throwing away, Gander Eye?" Crispin asked.
"Oh, just something I didn't reckon I wanted."
Crispin looked at him expectantly, waiting to hear more. But Gander Eye only fished out a cigarette.
"Nothing of value?" prompted Crispin at last.
"Not to me, leastways."
"Nothing of value to anybody?"
Gander Eye grinned, showing his teeth around the cigarette. "I ain't much studying what other folks might could think was valuable. I just didn't want it. You can say, I don't want it from where it come from."
"I see," said Crispin, who did see.
"Well, what you got on your mind?" Gander Eye asked a question in turn. "I'm always glad to see you anyhow, but you must have come over here about something or other."
"You might say that I was just wondering about what you want out of life," said Crispin, choosing his words carefully. "If you wouldn't be glad to have a lot of money, for instance, and be able to buy good things with it."
Gander Eye looked at him sidelong. "You come here to offer me such things as that?"
"Not me, exactly," said Crispin. "It's just that as I get to know you, I sometimes wonder if you don't have a wish for something you haven't got."
"Sure enough," nodded Gander Eye. "A man's always got that kind of wish. But money wouldn't fetch it for me. I got enough to buy my needs, and I'll tell you I don't need nothing very bad. If I got just three taters in the house I'll tell anybody on this earth to go to hell."
"I see," said Crispin, seeing again.
Gander Eye blew a puff of smoke. "All right, Jim. If you ain't here to talk about a lot of money for me that I don't hanker after, what is it? If I can help you, I'll do it."
He looked levelly at Crispin, who drew a long breath, like somebody making up his mind.
"I'll tell you about a picture I'm going to make," said Crispin. "As a matter of fact, I've already told you something about it."
"You're all the time making pretty pictures. Right pretty ones."
"I mean my ideas of a picture of the Kimber baptism. I can't paint it at their place, I told you, but I can paint it at mine. And I need models—people to pose for me. I was wondering if you wouldn't pose for the figure of the Captain."
Gander Eye cocked a black brow. "Him and me don't favor one another in looks, no way."
"It won't be the Captain I'm painting, and I don't particularly want you to look like him," said Crispin. "This will be my own impression of the baptism. Stripped down, you'll have good muscles—"
"You ain't never seen me with my clothes off."
"I'm an artist. I can tell that sort of thing."
Gander Eye pursed his lips. "If you get me for the Captain in the picture, who'll you have for that pretty naked girl?"
"I'm going to ask Slowly," said Crispin.
There was a silence, in which even the soft noise of insects and birds seemed stilled.
"I reckon you mean, you already know how she'd look with her clothes off," said Gander Eye tonelessly.
"And I reckon you mean you object," said Crispin, daring to smile.
"Seems to me like as if the only person's got a right to object is Slowly," Gander Eye pronounced. "But look here, I ain't a-going to pose there with her, not both of us together without no clothes on."
Crispin's smile came out all the way. "That means you've decided to pose. All right, Gander Eye, I'll paint only one of you at a time. All right?"
"I reckon so."
"Listen, Gander Eye," Crispin decided to say, "this was once a rich timber-producing part of the country, but has there ever been any mining?"
"Yes, sir, there still is. They dig up some bauxite and talc, here and there and yonder a little copper."
"Anything else?" asked
"How you, Jim?" he called. "Glad to see you. Come in the house and stay a week."
Crispin sat down on the back stoop, and Gander Eye came to sit with him.
"What were you throwing away, Gander Eye?" Crispin asked.
"Oh, just something I didn't reckon I wanted."
Crispin looked at him expectantly, waiting to hear more. But Gander Eye only fished out a cigarette.
"Nothing of value?" prompted Crispin at last.
"Not to me, leastways."
"Nothing of value to anybody?"
Gander Eye grinned, showing his teeth around the cigarette. "I ain't much studying what other folks might could think was valuable. I just didn't want it. You can say, I don't want it from where it come from."
"I see," said Crispin, who did see.
"Well, what you got on your mind?" Gander Eye asked a question in turn. "I'm always glad to see you anyhow, but you must have come over here about something or other."
"You might say that I was just wondering about what you want out of life," said Crispin, choosing his words carefully. "If you wouldn't be glad to have a lot of money, for instance, and be able to buy good things with it."
Gander Eye looked at him sidelong. "You come here to offer me such things as that?"
"Not me, exactly," said Crispin. "It's just that as I get to know you, I sometimes wonder if you don't have a wish for something you haven't got."
"Sure enough," nodded Gander Eye. "A man's always got that kind of wish. But money wouldn't fetch it for me. I got enough to buy my needs, and I'll tell you I don't need nothing very bad. If I got just three taters in the house I'll tell anybody on this earth to go to hell."
"I see," said Crispin, seeing again.
Gander Eye blew a puff of smoke. "All right, Jim. If you ain't here to talk about a lot of money for me that I don't hanker after, what is it? If I can help you, I'll do it."
He looked levelly at Crispin, who drew a long breath, like somebody making up his mind.
"I'll tell you about a picture I'm going to make," said Crispin. "As a matter of fact, I've already told you something about it."
"You're all the time making pretty pictures. Right pretty ones."
"I mean my ideas of a picture of the Kimber baptism. I can't paint it at their place, I told you, but I can paint it at mine. And I need models—people to pose for me. I was wondering if you wouldn't pose for the figure of the Captain."
Gander Eye cocked a black brow. "Him and me don't favor one another in looks, no way."
"It won't be the Captain I'm painting, and I don't particularly want you to look like him," said Crispin. "This will be my own impression of the baptism. Stripped down, you'll have good muscles—"
"You ain't never seen me with my clothes off."
"I'm an artist. I can tell that sort of thing."
Gander Eye pursed his lips. "If you get me for the Captain in the picture, who'll you have for that pretty naked girl?"
"I'm going to ask Slowly," said Crispin.
There was a silence, in which even the soft noise of insects and birds seemed stilled.
"I reckon you mean, you already know how she'd look with her clothes off," said Gander Eye tonelessly.
"And I reckon you mean you object," said Crispin, daring to smile.
"Seems to me like as if the only person's got a right to object is Slowly," Gander Eye pronounced. "But look here, I ain't a-going to pose there with her, not both of us together without no clothes on."
Crispin's smile came out all the way. "That means you've decided to pose. All right, Gander Eye, I'll paint only one of you at a time. All right?"
"I reckon so."
"Listen, Gander Eye," Crispin decided to say, "this was once a rich timber-producing part of the country, but has there ever been any mining?"
"Yes, sir, there still is. They dig up some bauxite and talc, here and there and yonder a little copper."
"Anything else?" asked
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