? ? ? ? "You won't, won't you? Well, I sh'd reckon you won't!"
? ? ? ? "No'm, I'm honest about it; I won't ever do it again. Till you ask me."
? ? ? ? "Till I ask you! Well, I never see the beat of it in my born days! I lay you'll be the Methusalem-numskull of creation before ever I ask you- or the likes of you."
? ? ? ? "Well," he says, "it does surprise me so. I can't make it out, somehow. They said you would, and I thought you would. But-" He stopped and looked around slow, like he wished he could run across a friendly eye, somewhere's; and fetched up on the old gentleman's, and says, "Didn't you think she'd like me to kiss her, sir?"
? ? ? ? "Why, no, I- I- well, no, I b'lieve I didn't."
? ? ? ? Then he looks on around, the same way, to me- and says:
? ? ? ? "Tom, didn't you think Aunt Sally'd open out her arms and say, 'Sid Sawyer-'"
? ? ? ? "My land!" she says, breaking in and jumping for him, "you impudent young rascal, to fool a body so-" and was going to hug him, but he fended her off, and says:
? ? ? ? "No, not till you've asked me, first.
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