The Ledge on Bald Face

ock coat, and a square, flat case of shiny black leather strapped

de-brimmed felt hat and mopped his glistening forehead with a big red and white handkerchief. Receiving a more or less hospitable chorus of grunts and "hullo

b's Ridge. Thirsty, you bet. Never drink nothing stronger'n ginger pop or soft cider. Have a round o

at ease under such sudden cordiality from a stranger, but too polite to rebuff him, muttered "Thank ye, kindly

little, there was nothing for the mill hands to do but loaf and smoke. The hot air was heavily scented with the smell of fresh sawdust mixed with the strong honey-perfume of the flo

to a conversational effort in any way worthy the advances of the confident stranger. They all smoked a little harder tha

of those itinerant preachers who sometimes busy themselves with the cure of souls in the remoter backwood

nsort with his habiliments. He rather liked a man to look what he was or be what he looked, and he did not like black side whiskers and long hair. This antagonis

box of bright pink fancy soap, Tug Blackstock reached behind him and possessed himself of a box of

d he cordially. "T

e box aside with an air a

've nothing agin it. It goes agin my system, that's all. If it's all the

rom behind the counter. Like most of the regular customers, he kn

eal that many might have shrunk from. At last, seeming to notice the animal for the first time, he recognized his presence by indifferently laying his hand upon his neck. Instead of instantly drawi

he weighed off a much bigger piece of cheese than he had at first intended to offer, marking down his indebtedness on a slate which served the p

ng, eyes of a cold grey, set rather close together, and a face that suggested a cross between a fox and a fish-hawk. He was somewhat conspicuous among his fellows by the trimness of his dress, hi

designs in black and red. He stuck to this adornment tenaciously as a sort of inoffensive proclamation of the fact that he was not

anger, brushing some white cracke

laborate belt and leaning forward a little to spit out through th

mouth full of cheese, did

kstock with a grin. "He brings the leetle fat roll that pays

have to come on a bit slow. He'll be along some time to-night, I guess. Didn't seem to me to have much wrong with him. No, ye can't have none o'

ointed air th

ivil to a stranger," mutt

to the store. He was greeted with friendly grins, while several voices drawled, "Hullo, Woolly Billy!" He beamed cheerfully upon the whole company, with a special gleam of intimate

child's singular hair. Neither children nor dogs had any pa

no, ain't he?

his master's voice, got up and stood beside the child, and gazed about the circle with an

n the least rebuffed by the

patting admiringly the str

grew cordial

most interestin' book, the most useful book-and next to the Bible the most high-toned, uplifting book that was ever written

und sumptuously in embossed sky-blue imitation leather, lavish

book it is? With this book by ye, ye don't need any other book in the house at all, except maybe the almanack an' the Bible-an' this boo

ulac. An' it'll tell ye how to live, so as when things happen that no medicines an' no doctors and no receipts-not even such great receipts as these here ones" (and he slapped his hand on the counter) "can help ye thr

an' make ye wish ye was like that now. In fact, boys, this book I'm goin' to show ye, with your kind permission, is handier than a pocket in a shirt,

protested Woolly Billy. "I'm tired of thi

eard not a word of the fluent harangue. They had a deep distrust and dread of this black-whiskered stranger, now that he stood revealed as the Man-Wanting-to-Sell-Something. Th

than that one, sonny," said he. "But ye must ask yer dad to buy it fer ye. He won't regret it." And he passed t

y Billy sadly. "It's an awfully pretty book."

. But as Woolly Billy here wants it so bad I'll take a copy, if 'tain't too dear. All the same, it's only fair to warn ye that ye'll not do much business in Brine's Rip, for there was a book agent here last y

uring this speech, but it bright

d briskly. "An' ye don't need to pay more'n fifty cents down, an' sign this order, an' ye pay the balance in a month's time, when the books are delivered. I'll give ye my re

I guess Woolly Billy'd jest as soon have the two-fifty one. An' I'll pay y

. "Cash payments for me every time, if I could have my way. Now, if some o' you other gent

into the street with the child and the dog at his heels. "We'll be