He said he
and Madge McCulloch were agreed, but Andrew McCulloch wasn't
agreeable. That was partly because Andrew wanted Madge to stay where
she was, partly because Corliss had no assets or prospects, and
partly because Andrew had an unreasonable low opinion of him, as a
roaming and unsettled sort. He spoke of Andrew by various and soaring
names, implying a high opinion of him, and especially in speaking of
Andrew's warm temper, his respect got remarkable. He'd call him
maybe, "St. Peter," in that connection, or maybe "Sitting Bull." For
candour, and opening his mind, and asking the world for sympathy, I
took him to be given that way. He said the town of Adrian was divided
into two parties on the subject of him, and Madge, and Andrew
McCulloch, so I took it Andrew's temper had had some reasonable
exercise.
"St. Peter's got a good run of warm language," he says, "but his
fence is chilly. He's got a toothache in his shoes, he has, that man."
"Why don't you elope?" I says.
"That's the trouble," he says. "When I ask Madge, 'Why not?' she
says, 'Where to?' I'd been thinking I'd take a look around the world
and see."
"Don't you do it," I says. "When you get around the other side, it's
a long way back.
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