José — page 45: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

38 | JOSE. mule,” replied the young man, with angrily con- tracted brows. “Tell me straight out what you’ll do, and if I have asked too much in expecting you to take a poor boy under your care I’ll leave at once.” “Hold on there a minute! You’re a sort of a Mormon after all!” cried the freighter, pausing, his face assuming a faint grin. “First tell me why you single me out from among your own kind, since there are several Mexicans in the train.” “One reason is that I love the Germans better than all the Mexicans,” replied the boy, looking the other candidly in the face; “besides I’ve taken a special fancy to you——” “Indeed!” Bill interrupted him, tilting his hat back on his head; “I suppose you don’t call that scratching a fellow’s ears? It wouldn’t surprise me at allif you had learned to speak German and then went and forgot it again.” “JT remember enough to talk with you!” replied the lad in good German, while the shadow of a melancholy expression flitted across his face. “Indeed!” replied the freighter, balancing his head while the hat resumed its comical pose on his right ear. “I don’t care what you say, you’re a funny little chap; but that’s nothing to me. I reckon [’Il have to help you. Do you take a drink occasionally? No? Very well,” he continued as the lad shook his head; “you won’t miss it on the road, which is devilish hard on an old fellow like me when the supply is running low. We might as well go at once and see how the wagon-boss feels to- day.” Together they walked toward the lodging-house and ascended to one of the upper rooms, Gomichbooks.co m