"I dare say he has far higher pleasures than you or I ever experience.
His thoughts are like a rich kingdom to him."
"He's had some pretty bitter thoughts, I guess. He got crossed in love
once, and its sort of made him dislike wimmen folks. Maybe you've noticed
it yourself?" Thomas gave me a searching look.
"I did not know he ever cared for a woman in his life. I thought he was
above such things," I murmured, too astonished to think of a proper
reply.
"There's very few men get up that high, I reckon; leastaways, I've never
sot eyes on them."
I turned a quizzical look on Thomas, which he understood--his face
reddened.
"I don't claim to be one of the high kind, but I allow Oaklands is better
for me than a wife. I never sot great store by wimmen folks. They're
sort of pernicketty cattle to manage; I'd sooner take to horses; and if
one happens to die, you don't feel so cut up like as if it was a wife.
Now there's Dan Blake. Marrying's been enough sight more worryment to him
than comfort. I've figgured up the pros and cons close, and them that
keeps single don't age near as fast as the married ones. There's the
widow Larkum, if she'd kept single, she'd have been young and blooming
now. Human folks is many of them very poor witted," Thomas concluded,
with fine scorn, and then he was silent.
My thoughts went off in eager surprise over that strange episode in Mr.
Winthrop's life, wondering what sort of a woman it was who had power so
to mar his happiness, and why she had not responded to his love, and all
the fascinating story that my sense of honor prevented me from finding
out from Thomas, or Mrs.
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