The Little Foxes Page #5

is open the box.

Yeah. He's had those bonds

for 15 years.

Bought them when they were low

and just locked them up.

Yeah, he just has to open the box

and take them out. That's all.

Easy as easy can be.

The things in that box.

There's all those bonds

looking mighty fine.

Then right next to them

is a baby shoe of Zan's...

and a cheap old cameo

on a string.

And nobody would believe this:

A piece of an old violin.

Not even a whole violin,

just a piece of an old thing.

A piece of a violin.

- What do you think of that?

- Yes, sir.

And a lot of other crazy things too.

A poem I guess it is,

signed with his mother's name.

How do you know

what's in the box, son?

It was one of the boys

at the bank.

He took old Manders' keys.

It was Joe Horn.

He just took old Manders' keys

and took the box out.

Then they asked me if I wanted

to see too, so I looked a little.

But I made them close the box,

and I told them...

Joe Horn, you say?

He opened it?

Yes, sir, he did.

My word of honor.

That don't excuse me for looking,

but I did make him close it...

and put the keys back

in Manders' drawer.

Tell me the truth.

I'm not gonna be angry with you.

- Did you open the box yourself?

- No, sir, I didn't.

Sometimes a young fellow deserves credit

for looking around him...

see what's going on.

Many great men have made their fortune

with their eyes.

Did you open the box?

It may have been a good thing

if you had.

Did you?

I opened it.

Does anybody else

know you opened it?

Don't be afraid

of speaking the truth.

- Nobody was in the bank when I did it.

- Will Horace know you opened it?

He only looks in it once

every six months when he cuts a coupon.

Sometimes Manders

even does that for him.

Uncle Horace don't even have the keys.

Manders keeps them for him.

Imagine not looking at all that.

You can bet if I had those bonds,

I'd watch them like...

If you had them, you could have a share

in the mill. You and me.

A fine big share too.

A man can't be shot for wanting

to see his son get on in the world.

- Can he, boy?

- No, he can't.

But I haven't got the bonds

and Uncle Horace has.

You think your Uncle Horace

likes you well enough...

to lend you the bonds if he decides

not to use them himself?

Papa, it must be you gone crazy.

Lend me the bonds?

No, I suppose not.

Just a fancy of mine.

A loan for three months,

maybe four.

Easy enough for us

to pay it back then.

Anyway, this is only April.

If he doesn't look at the bonds

till fall...

he wouldn't even miss them

out of the box.

That's it.

He wouldn't even miss them.

How could he miss them

if he never looks at them?

You laugh when I say

he could lend you the bonds...

if he's not gonna use them.

But would it hurt him?

It wouldn't hurt him.

People ought

to help other people.

So she got him home at last.

Careful, Addie.

- They're here.

- Yes, Belle.

- Tidy up the room.

- Yes, ma'am.

And me sitting up all night

worrying about you.

We don't want to hear

how worried you've been.

We had to stay in Mobile overnight

for Papa to rest.

- Upstairs?

- No, I'll wait, David.

I'll rest here

for a minute.

Thank you.

Thank you for coming with us.

I like talking to you.

- In fact, I like you. I always have.

- Thank you, sir.

- Do you like me?

- Not today.

I'll come back tomorrow.

Good-bye, sir.

Good-bye, David.

Remember me to your mother.

I will.

Good-bye, funny.

I bet Mama's been worried.

- I better tell her we're back.

- Not for a minute.

You feel bad again.

I knew you did.

- Do you want your medicine?

- I don't feel that way.

I just wanted to rest a little.

- Them fancy doctors do you any good?

- They did their best.

This is Father's

very special medicine.

We'll keep one bottle down here

and one in his room.

He must have the pills

every four hours.

And the special medicine,

only if he feels very bad. Careful.

Since when I ain't old enough

to hold a bottle of medicine?

You feel all right?

He says he does, but he doesn't.

The trip was very hard on him.

He's got to go right to bed.

Help me.

No, I don't need

that much help.

Addie, is your coffee as good

as it used to be?

Dr. Boden said not much coffee.

Just now and then.

Do you hear me?

I'm the nurse now.

You'd be a better one

if you didn't look so dirty.

Take a bath, change your linens, get on

a fresh dress and brush your hair good.

Will you be all right?

I'll look after Mr. Horace.

Ring for Belle and have her help you.

- Hurry.

- Yes, ma'am.

My old room.

I haven't slept here since...

Since a mighty long time.

Before I see anybody else...

Thank you, Addie.

- I want to know why Zan came for me.

- I don't know.

All I know is

big things is going on.

Everybody gonna be high-tone rich.

You too.

All 'cause smoke gonna start

from a building that ain't even up yet.

I've heard about that.

And Miss Zannie, she's gonna marry

Mr. Leo in a little while.

- What are you talking about?

- That's right. That's the talk.

- What's the talk?

- There's gonna be a wedding.

Over my dead body there is.

Horace, you finally arrived.

All right, Addie.

I'm very happy to see you.

- How are you?

- What happened to you and Alexandra?

We stopped overnight in Mobile.

I didn't feel good.

- Just a little weak, I suppose.

- Here we are.

Been a long time.

You know how much I wanted to come

to the hospital and be with you.

But I didn't know where my duty lay:

Here or with you.

But you know

how much I wanted to come.

That's kind of you. There was no need

to come. I didn't have a bad time.

Maybe at first when the doctors told me,

but after I got used to the idea...

I sort of liked it there.

You're looking very well,

very handsome.

You liked it there.

Isn't it strange you liked it so well

you didn't want to come home?

That's not the way to put it.

But I did like lying there

and thinking.

I never had much time to think.

Time's become valuable to me.

- It sounds almost like a holiday.

- It was, sort of.

- I was thinking you were in pain.

- I was in pain.

Instead you were having

a holiday of thinking.

- I was thinking about us.

- About us?

About you and me

after all these years?

You shall tell me everything

you thought, someday.

What's this crazy talk

about Zan and Leo marrying?

Who gossips so much around here?

It's some foolishness Oscar thought up.

I'll explain later.

It was simply a way

of keeping him quiet...

in all this business

I've been writing you about.

I have no intention

of allowing any such arrangement.

Neither have I, so put it out

of Oscar's head immediately.

- You know what I think of Leo.

- There's no need to talk about it now.

There's no need to talk about it ever.

Not as long as I live.

I suppose they've written you.

I can't live very long.

I have never understood why people

have to talk about this kind of thing!

You must understand. I don't intend

to gossip about my sickness.

I thought it was only fair

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