'Well, now I don't know about that,' I said. 'I ain't saying you're wrong, but I sure ain't saying-'
'Oh, shut up!' she said again. 'Lennie's more of a man than you are. Aren't you, Lennie, darling?'- she smiled at him-'you're Myra's brave strong man, aren't you? Not an old cowardly calf like Nick.'
Lennie slobbered out a laugh, pointing a finger at me. 'Cowardly calf, cowardly calf! Sheriff Nick's a cowardly calf!'
I looked at him, and he stopped laughing and pointing. He turned real quiet, and kind of pale.
I looked at Myra, and her smile stiffened and faded. And she was almost as pale and silent as Lennie.
'N-Nick-' She broke the long silence with a trembly laugh. 'W-What's the matter?'
'Matter?' I said.
'The way you're looking. Like you were about to kill Lennie and me both. I-! never saw you look that way before.'
I forced a laugh, making it sound easy and stupid. 'Me? Me kill someone? Aw, now!'
'But-but you-'
'I guess maybe I was thinking about the election. Thinking maybe it wasn't a very good idea to be pokin' fun at me with the election comin' up.'
She nodded her head quickly, and frowned at Lennie. 'Of course, we'd never carry on like that in public. But-but probably it isn't a good idea. Even if we were just joking.'
I thanked her for her understandin', and started for the door.
She followed me for a step, still kind of anxious; shook up from the scare I'd accidentally given her.
'I don't think you have to worry about getting elected, dear. Not with all the talk that's going on about Sam Gaddis.'
'Well, I never believe in takin' chances,' I said. 'I always figure a fella ought to lean over backwards and put his shoulder to the wheel, and not count his chickens until they're hatched.'
'Mrs. Robert Lee Jefferson said her husband said that you said you didn't believe the stories about Sam Gaddis.'
'I don't. I don't believe a god-danged word of 'em,' I said.
'But-she also said that he said that you said you were going to speak up for Mr. Gaddis. She said that he said that you said you were going to be on the speakers' platform with him come Sunday- week.'
I told her she'd spoken the truth, and that was a fact. 'You talk to her again, you tell her that when she said that Robert Lee said that I said I was going to speak up for Sam Gaddis, she was a thousand per cent right.'
'You fool!-' She caught herself. 'But Gaddis is running against you, dear. Why should you do anything for him?'
'Now, that's quite a question, ain't it?' I said. 'Yes, sir, that is
'But-'
'Reckon I'd better be rushing back to my office,' I said. 'No tellin' what's been happening while I was away.'
I went on down the stairs, pretending like I didn't hear her when she called to me. I went in my office and sat down with my boots upon the desk. And I slanted my hat over my eyes, and kind of dozed for a little while.
It was awfully peaceful. The mud was keeping most folks indoors, and the painters were taking the day off because of the wet, so there wasn't a lot of slamming and banging and calling back and forth from them. A fella could really rest for a change, and catch up the sleep that he didn't get at night.
I rested and slept until noon, when I went upstairs for dinner.
Myra had got over her scare, and was about back to normal. She looked at me and said she could see I'd had a very busy morning, and she hoped I wasn't wearing myself out.
'Well, I'm trying not to,' I said. 'A fella like me, with the whole county depending on him for law and order, has got to watch out for his health. Which sort of reminds me. About me takin' Rose Hauck home tonight-'
'You're going to do it!' Myra snapped. 'You're going to, so just don't try to get out of it!'
'But suppose Tom's there? Suppose he's mad about me bringin' his wife home, an'- an'-'
I squirmed, letting my eyes fall, but I could still see Myra glaring at me. At last she spoke, her voice shaky with hate and disgust.
'You-you thing, you! You miserable excuse for a man! I'll tell you this, Nick Corey! If Tom is there and you let him hurt Rose, I'll make you the sorriest man in the county!'
'Now, my goodness,' I said. 'My goodness gracious! You don't need to talk that way. I wouldn't stand by an' watch Rose get hurt.'
'Well, you'd better not! That's all I've got to say! You'd just better not!'
I started eating, with Myra shooting me a suspicious look now and then. After a while, I looked up and said I'd just thought of something else about Rose. Suppose Tom came home, after! left and wouldn't be around to protect her.
'He's bound to be pretty bad off,' I said. 'Stayin' away so long, he'll probably be twice as drunk and mean as he usually is. Makes me plumb shiver to think what he might do to Rose.'
'Well…' Myra hesitated, studying over what I'd said and not finding anything to fault me for. 'Well, I don't suppose it would look right for you to stay all night at the house. But-'
'Naw, I couldn't do that! I sure couldn't do that,' I said. 'Anyways, we don't know for sure when Tom's comin' home. Might be gone, two, three days. All we know is he's gonna be plenty hard to get along with when he does get back.'
Myra fumed and frowned, and said I should have done something about Tom long ago, and Rose wouldn't be in this position now. I said she was probably right, and it was just too bad we couldn't think of some way to give Rose some protection.
'Let's see,' I said. 'I wonder maybe if we could get her a watchdog, or-'
'You fool! Tom would kill it in a minute! He's killed every dog they ever had!'
'Mmm-hmm,' I said. 'God-dang if I didn't forget about that. Well, let's see, now. I'd know of just the thing if Rose was a different kind of person. More nervy, you know, instead of so meek and mild. But that's the way she is, so it just wouldn't do no good.'
'What wouldn't do no good! What are you talking about now?'
'Why, a gun,' I said. 'You know, one of them things you shoot with. But it sure wouldn't do no good with Rose, her bein' scared of her own shadder, so-'
'That's it!' Myra cut in. 'We'll get her a gun! She ought to have one anyway, a woman alone as much as she is.'
'But what good will it do?' I said. 'Rose wouldn't shoot no one to save her life.'
'I'm not so sure about that-not if her life was at stake. At any rate, she could point it. Make that big brute of a husband keep away from her.'
'Well, now, I just don't know about that,' I said. 'If you ask me-'
'I'm not asking you! I'm taking Rose out to get a gun this very day, so just finish your dinner and shut up!'
I finished eating, and went back down to my office. I rested and dozed some more, but not as good
