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The Romance Of Jedediah
by
“If Jed walks in there and hangs up his hat he’ll have done well for himself after all.”
This was Selena’s view of it also, barring the good nature. She was furious at the whole affair, and she did her best to make Mattie’s life a burden to her with slurs and thrusts. But they all misjudged Jed. He had no intention of “walking in and hanging up his hat”–or trying to. Romantic as he was, it never occurred to him that Mattie might be as romantic as himself. She did not care for him, and anyhow he, Jed, had a little too much pride to ask her, a rich woman, to marry him, a poor man who had lost all caste he ever possessed by taking up tin-peddling. Jed was determined not to “persoom.” And, oh, how deliciously romantic it all was! He hugged himself with sorrowful delight over it.
As the summer waned and the long yellow leaves began to fall thickly from the willows in the Adams lane Jed began to talk of going out west again. Tin-peddling was not possible in winter, and he didn’t think he would try it another summer. Mattie listened with dismay in her heart. All summer she had made much of Jed, by way of tormenting Selena. But now she realized what he really meant to her. The old love had wakened to life in her heart; she could not let Jed go out of her life again, leaving her to the old loneliness. If Jed went away everything would be flat, stale, and unprofitable.
She knew him to be at heart the kindest, most gentle of human beings, and the mere fact of his having been unsuccessful, even what some of his old neighbours might call stupid, did not change her feelings toward him in the least. He was Jed–that was sufficient for her, and she had business capability enough for both, when it came to that.
Mattie began to drop hints. But Jed would not take them. True, once or twice he thought that perhaps Mattie did care a little for him yet. But it would not do for him to take advantage of that.
“No, I just couldn’t do that,” he told the pony. “I worship the ground that woman treads on, but it ain’t for the likes of me to tell her so, not now. Get up, my nag, get up. This has been a mighty pleasant summer with that visit to look forward to every week. But it’s about over now and you must tramp, Jed.”
Jed sighed. He remembered that it was more romantic than ever, but all at once this failed to comfort him. Romance up to a certain point was food; beyond that it palled, so to speak. Jed’s romance failed him just when he needed it most.
Mattie, meanwhile, was forced to the dismal conclusion that her hints were thrown away. Jed was plainly determined not to speak. Mattie felt half angry with him. She did not choose to make a martyr of herself to romance, and surely the man didn’t expect her to ask him to marry her.
“I’m sure and certain he’s as fond of me as ever he was,” she mused. “I suppose he’s got some ridiculous notion about being too poor to aspire to me. Jed always had more pride than a Crane could carry. Well, I’ve done all I can–all I’m going to do. If Jed’s determined to go, he must go, I s’pose.”
Mattie would not let herself cry, although she felt like it. She went out and picked apples instead.
Mattie might have remained so and Jedediah’s romance might never have reached a better ending, if it had not been for Selena, who came over just then to help Mattie pick the golden russets. Fate had evidently destined her as Jed’s best helper. All summer she had been fairly goading Mattie into love with Jedediah and now she was moved to add the last spur.