"Ye wuz over't the sale
yisdy, warn't ye, Squire?" he said, addressing Edwards.
"Yes, Abner."
"Wal, ye see, when we come tew put back David's folks intew the haouse
his woman missed the clock, and somebody said ez haow ye'd took et."
"I bid it in," said Edwards.
"I s'pose ye clean furgut t'wuz the on'y clock she hed," suggested
Abner with a bland air of accounting for the other's conduct on the
most favorable supposition.
Edwards, making no reply save to grow rather red, Abner continued:
"In course ye furgut it, that's what I tole the fellers, for ye
wouldn't go and take the on'y clock a poor man hed wen ye've got a
plenty, 'nless ye furgut. Ye see we knowed ye'd wanter send it right
back soon ez ye thort o' that, and so we jess called in for't,
callaten tew save ye the trouble."
"But--but I bought it," stammered Edwards.
"Sartin, sartin," said Abner. "Jess what I sed, ye bought it caze ye
clean furgut it wuz David's on'y one, an he poor an yew rich. Crypus!
Squire, ye hain't got no call tew explain it tew us. Ye see we knows
yer ways Squire. We knows how apt ye be tew furgit jiss that way. We
kin make allowances fer ye."
Edwards' forehead was crimson.
Pages:
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246