Presently he went down to the tavern. The crowd of men and boys on the
green received him with quite an ovation. Shaking hands right and left
with the men, he went on to the tavern, and finding Abner smoking on
the bench outside the door, drew him aside and asked him to see that
there was no demonstration in front of Woodbridge's that evening.
Abner grumbled a little.
"O' course I'm sorry for the woman, if she's sick, but they never
showed no considerashun fer our feelin's, an I don' see wy we sh'd be
so durn tender o' theirn. I shouldn't be naow, arter they'd treated a
brother o' mine ez they hev Reub. But ye be cap'n, Perez, an it shel
be ez ye say. The boys kin try ther fiddles on Squire Edwards instid."
"No. Not there, Abner," said Perez, quickly.
"Wy not, I sh'd like ter know. His wife ain't sick, be she?"
"No, that is I don't know," said Perez, his face flushing a little
with the difficulty of at once thinking of any plausible reason. "You
see," he finally found words to say, "the store is so near Squire
Woodbridge's, that the noise might disturb Madam Woodbridge."
"She muss hev dum sharp ears, ef she kin hear much at that distance,"
observed Abner, "but it shell be as ye say, Cap'n.
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