The Touch of Abner

GALL,

own fer a

ly around. The reporter of The Live Wire gave one lightning glance toward the speaker, and then began to write rapidly upon his pad

he asked. "Did some

ed to rise, but was pulled quickly

t-tails, Tildy

er, are y

ed! Leave me al

Andrews, is it?" th

's me al

to give one th

what I

u please step forwar

better'n me. Jist tell him to put Abner A

gnature," the chairman insisted. "It is

hat I'll back ou

like to get your name in your own handwriting. We shall make an

're sho

ng w

kin' sense. Do

ently stroked his chin with the fingers of his right hand. "I didn't

e meanin' of a thousa

to thank you very heartily. I am sure that all here t

itude, an' as fer as I kin

ice at his side chided

oward his protesting wife. "I was merely remarkin' that the gratitude o

?" the chairman sharply questioned. "S

r!" came f

dy came to town to-day to do a little shoppin', an' happenin' to hear that there was to be a meetin' of the influential people of this place to see about the buildin' of a Home fer orphan children, we made up our

too long already. But now that you have given us such splendid assistance, the work s

heard a great deal of highfalutin' talk about poor little orphans an' what ought to be done fe

ddenly to his feet, and appealing to the chairman. "We didn't come he

n dollars, that's all. An' you one of the richest men in town. An' that's the way with the rest of yez. Ye've talked, but when it came to givin' yez wer'n't there. That's the reason why I said ye'r gratitude is worth darn little.

ly to the door. When they were at last out of the building, the chairman

rked, "we will gather up the fragments

ac Dimock, were inclined to treat the countryman's cutting words as a joke. They wondered, nevertheless, at the offer he had made of one thousand dollars. The reporter kep

bled up into the carriage. Neither had spoken a word since leaving the building. It

with you to-night,

as fer a

wouldn't have spoken and

to give them folks

ol of yourself

did, Tildy? G

would offer to give one thousand doll

t think I'm altogether a fool. It was somethi

t wa

agined I was as rich as I used to b

ere very rich and a great man, doesn't make you rich and great now. You're only Abner Andrews of Ash Point, a

lly old man Astor, an' saw milli

it's about time we called in the doctor. Th

et there an' let them people git off with their cussed meannes

thousand dollars? Do

e I

t to come

find it so

but a heap of gravel, and you know as well as I do how hard we scratch and

situation, though, T

ation these days. Haven't you always had fine situations

n I bought that thrashin' machine from Sol Britt, an' ran it fer awhile. After that I went in fer lumberin', an' kept it up fe

verything you touched failed. And I ex

git along an' make a comfortable livin'. I've al

are they? I neve

ey've never failed me yit,

t. "I know you've got plenty of gall, but as for

ot of gall when I asked ye to marry me. But as fer

eat of the horse's feet upon the road. Abner grew restless. He shifted uneasily in his seat, and coughed. Then he began to

ll Larkins m

it up in h

fool he wa

he always w

. He could stand anything from his wife

" he at leng

nk you'd be ashamed to speak to

, Ti

ar you. Wh

squirm when I land

. I never felt so ashamed o

pin-feathers off his mother's chickens when she was gittin' 'em ready fer market. He wasn' sich a bad critter then. But since he got hitched

t money. Then it won't be such fun. I wonder what J

-shins! I fergot

ent we could make and scrape together to put her through the Seminar

Tildy. She needn't kn

be the first one to tell her, Abner, when y

not hear it from me, blamed

ype="