evenin’ so fer. What’s got inter ye
“Oh, I was jest athinkin’,” drawled Mr. Green. “Nawth
in’ ’n pertickler ye know—don’t ’mount ter much, but I’ll tell
ye what I was athinkin’ on, ef you say so. ’’
Now as lie al ways .prefaced his remarks by some such
modest statement, no one needed to urge him to continue,
and he shortly settled hi s quid of tobacco in a remote corner of
his capacious mouth, and, stretching out his long nether limbs
toward the glowing stove, began his story.
“Naow ye know, ” said he, “I alius like ter hev plenty
uv good hot fire near by when I’m asettin’ still. Dunilo Why
’tis—guess my blood ain’t s’good’s it used ter be, fer I didn't
used ter mind the cold much. But I be agettiu' old, ’nd need
somethin’ter keep my blood amovin’—thet’s why I chew
terbaccer—it's sort uf comfortin’ and exhileratin’ at times.
“Waal, the story I was athinkin’ uv was about like this.
Ye know I went daown East last winter ter visit my sister
who I liedn’t seen fer goin’ on nigh outer twenty year. Gee !
but thet was the coldest place I ever see ! Twenty degrees
below zero warn’t nothin’ fer them folks.
“I lied a hard row ter hoe. Sal she did everythin’ she
could ter make me comf ’table—red hot stove 'n my room ’ud
cumf'tables enough ter fit aout a regiment with winter over
coats, ’nd yet I’d wake up ’n the mornin’ ashiverin' so’s ter
splinter my store teeth. So one night she fetched in a
warmin’-pan, ’nd filled it up chock full uv red-hot coals, ’nd
gin it ter me, atellin’ me :
“‘Naow jest before yer.jump inter bed, take ’nd chase
thet thing around between the, sheets, ’nd mebbe it’ll kinder
give ye a start toward keepin’ warrmtill mornin’.
“Waal. I did's directed, ’nd thinkiu’ I .might's well git
the hull ’dvantage from them coals, I left it in there, ’nd got
my feet daown’s dost tew it’s I could ’thougt gettin’ burned,
’nd went right off ter sleep.
“I hed the most all-fired fine dreams ! ever hope to hev.
Dreamt I was travellin’ daown South ’nd jest ’ujoyin’ the
Pcradvcnturc, A Lancelot.