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
en makin' fools of ourselves by always squabblin' over things of little real value.
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