The Touch of Abner
IN
workroom, littered with boards, tools, and shavings. Adjoining was the blacksmith shop, for Zebedee was a handy man, and combined carpentering with
and was measuring it with his two-foot
," was the ch
er," was the
society pig, I s'pose," Abner bantere
off the planed board, laid it carefully aside and picked up another. Abne
"Ye look as if ye'd been to a funeral. Hav
ng reply. "I haven't been to any funeral,
s eyes grew suddenl
enton's l
Never heard a word abo
'm makin' his
, isn't it? I thought the undertaker i
nton's too poor to buy a casket, so that's why I've tackled the job. Guess t
Dipht
starv
say so! Didn't know
to keep her family that she's gone under. I wouldn't b
she got money from the compan
st of it, accordin' to what
f a dozen ten-cent cigars every day. It
hadn't pumped it out of her. She's a game one, all right. But I do
ny are
chap who died was the young
on of sincere sympathy came into his eyes
we kin git them in
Abner asked
ooked up from his work. "You gave a
anged! I didn't
hold these boards
driven in two nails, he straightened h
give a thousand to that
de ye think
but next door to
retorted. "Ye must have inherited it f
give a thousand dollars to that Home than I am to buy out the whole of Glucom. How in the wo
'll square up all right, so ye needn't bust any
le on, then, if them Dent
d then stopped and looked out of the door. Present
t to git fer that job
xpect, an' that's nuthin
pping the ten dollar bill which had been given to him by the
me skin is scorched. There, don't ask me where I got it," he added, as Zeb started to speak.
nt to fight fer?" Zeb
The sight of that ten-spot m
if that's the way ye feel. I've no
of chances. Now, look, Zeb, who was the great-great-great-grandfather of
ths. But now, instead of launching forth in defence of his pet theory, h
egan, "I've b
y. "A bit out of the ordinary, eh? I tho
"an' if you'd do the same occasionally,
l ye'r neighbors' pigs by
nterestin', thoug
on't seem altogether right fer two men like you an' me to spend so much time over
much that escapes
that Denton
ght they was
k much about them
right, Zeb
t poor little dead boy last night, an' talked to the widder, an' saw the pinc
t way meself, 'specially when Tildy was afte
ids was hungry an' ye gave them nuthin' to eat; they was thirsty an' ye never gave them any fresh milk; they was almost naked an' ye didn't give them any clothes. If ye had done them things that little Denton boy wouldn't have died.' That's what
big red handkerchief,
t up when I think
ut stood very still with his eye
now," he at l
rkin' at these
ighty pesky job it
ght ye had t
t hadn't been fe
e-cle
ep or set anywheres, so I generally roost on the wo