The Touch of Abner

R-PI

that Isabel Rivers, her special friend at the Seminary, was to pay her a visit, Mrs. Andrews at once decided that the

rs to see a speck of dust around the house. I can hardly believe it true that she is c

eneral," wa

inner pipe. "She's society bred, like Lost Tribes' pig, an' I guess she'll

uiet life and country ways. We are both greatly interested in Social Service work, and we ha

er parents don't

mer. Belle is all he has, and she is the apple of his eye. Mrs. Rivers died last year,

But, remember, ye mustn't expect me to be harnessed up in Sunday duds an' white collar

were taken down; chairs and tables were piled out upon the verandah; mats were spread upon the grass, and the carpet hung upon the clothes-line. The old-fashion

of the room viewing the effect. "It's useful fer most anythin', as I to

bout it?" Mrs. Andrew

t a fine account of his great-grandmother's funeral,

well beat that carpet.

y at the carpet, pausing occasionally t

resting spells. "If this is Social Se

n't you, daddy?" Jess laughingly asked, a

hin' has been dead, laid out, an' buried as long as that

nd sweet the room will be whe

r gave the wobbly carpet a savage bang. "Look at that dust, now. The more I th

ted his pipe, and picke

ldy," he announced. "They're mighty weedy an' need ho

ose curtains, and do a hundred other things. The potatoes have gone so long already that I guess another day won't

he curtains; the other shaking mats and polishing the chairs upon the verandah. About an hour passed, and then from the parlor came a hair-raising yell, followed imme

the matter now?" his wife

the reply. "The darn old floor riz up

u hurt, daddy

daughter. "Where de ye think I'm hurt? Wh

ought you had more sense than to put that chair upon such a rickety box.

Service methods; t

methods! Why, wh

in' myself to put some plaster on that hole in the ceilin', when me under-pinnin

I know o

e use of ye'r studyin' Social Service if ye

ow what it

erybody knew that under-pinn

the foundation, or gr

in' names, but I'm used to under

hat to do with

th the rickety box underneath. Lost Tribes was right when he said ye can't elevate a pig into nuthin' more'n a hog. Ye'd better allus

pted. "We'll never get through with this room if you two keep

"Guess I'll go outside fer a while an' shake off this Social

ing his mind, he leaned against the clothes-line post instead. Pulling out a plug of tobacco and a knife, he had just whittled off several slices when an auto c

ss in?" he

as a few mi

Hen rul

. Like to

want to see the old

und soon. Met with

too bad.

der-pinnin' gave wa

my! S

Any m

for him, I

rtinl

a goo

ye ever

over for that Orphan Home Slapped down a cool thousand at the first bang.

e wants

ose I could see him? He's

il when he gits goi

hear that he's a little touched in the head. Has st

thinks he's old man Astor, Julius C?sar, or some other notable. He's not too bad then, but when he imagines he's one

you?" the young ma

me yit. We're too good friends fer that. I'm his keepe

s all that? Does he r

next to his wife. He allus minds me no matter h

u're just the man I want. I suppose he'

e th

ord for me, I'll make it worth your while. And, say, he

, and handed it to Abner. "Don't say a word about this little transaction,"

ye know. I'll put ye n

ood. Don'

fergit, not

ut his hand. "It's a bargain, remember,

ds looking down over the fields out upon the river. As she turned to re-enter the house by the back door, she espied the men, especially the stranger. In her brief glance she noted what a wretched o

ter Jess had entered the hou

's the old man's daughter;

Gad, she'

" Here he heaved a deep sigh, which

g with her?" the

and Abner placed the forefinge

, my, that's too bad!

etter go now. She was quite excited when she spotted you, an' if ye stay t

sion fled from his eyes. The skin on his cheeks and under his eyes became suddenly corrugated, and his mouth expanded to a dangerous degree. His body

s his game, eh? Heard I'm well fixed, too, an' was sent to sell me a car. A 'queer one,' an' a 'little touched in the head,' ho, ho! But mebbe he'll find the old felle

ype="