"Henry Kuttner - See You Later" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kuttner Henry)

"What are you blabbering about?" Yancey asked. "You ain't looking at the right thing. This here red
critter's what I mean. See what he's a-gonna do? Gonna chaw that there purty gal's haid off, looks like.
See the tusks on him? Heh, heh, heh. I wisht I was a critter like that. I'd chaw up plenty of people."

"You wouldn't chav up your own kin, though, I bet," I said, seeing a way to break the news gentle.

" Tain't right to bet," -he told me. "Allus pay your debts, fear no man, and don't lay no wagers.
Gambling's a sin. I never made no bets and I allus paid my debts." He stopped, scratched his whiskers,
and sort of sighed. "All except one," he added, frowning.

"What was that?"

"Oh, I owed a feller something. Only I never could locate him afterward. Must be nigh on thutty years
ago. Seems like I got likkered up and got on a train. Guess I robbed somebody, too, 'cause I had a roll
big enough to choke a hoss. Never tried that, come to think of it. You keep bosses?"

"No, sir," I said. "We was talking about your kin."

"Shet up," old Yancey said. "Well, now, I had myself quite a time." He licked his whiskers. "Ever heard
tell of a place called New York? In some furrin country, I guess. Can't understand a word nobody says.
Anyway, that's where I met up with this feller. I often wisht I could find him again. An honest man like me
hates to think of dying without paying his lawful debts."

"Did your eight boys owe any debts?" I asked.

He squinted at me, slapped his skinny leg, and nodded.

"Now I know," he said. "Ain't you the Hogben boy?"

"That's me. Saunk Hogben."

"I heard tell 'bout you Hogbens. All witches, ain't you?"

"No, sir."

"I heard what I heard. Whole neighborhood's buzzing. Hexers, that's what. You get outa here, go on,
git!"

"I'm a-going," I said. "I just come by to say it's real unfortunate you couldri't chaw up your own kin if'n
you was a critter like in that there picture."

"Ain't nobody big enough to stop me!"

"Maybe not," I said, "but they've all gone to glory."

When he heard this, old Yancey started to cackle. Finally, when he got his breath back, he said, "Not
them! Them varmints have gone plumb smack to perdition, right where they belong. How'd it happen?"

"It was sort of an accident," I said. "The baby done kilt seven of them and Grandpaw kilt the other, in a
way of speaking. No harm intended."