g--all the fancy clothes,
all the pocket-money, and now college!"

"You ever hear that boy Joe talk politics?" asked Uncle Joe Davey,
crossing a cough with a chuckle. "His head's so full of schemes fer
running this town, and state, too, it's a wonder it don't bust. Henry
Louden told me he's see Joe set around and study by the hour how to
save three million dollars for the state in two years."

"And the best he can do for himself," added Eskew, "is deliverin' the
Daily Tocsin on a second-hand Star bicycle and gamblin' with niggers
and riff-raff! None of the nice young folks invite him to their doin's
any more."

"That's because he's got so shabby he's quit goin' with em," said
Buckalew.

"No, it ain't," snapped Mr. Arp. "It's because he's so low down. He's
no more 'n a town outcast. There ain't ary one of the girls 'll have a
thing to do with him, except that rip-rarin' tom-boy next door to
Louden's; and the others don't have much to do with HER, neither, I can
tell ye. That Arie Tabor--"

Colonel Flitcroft caught him surreptitiously by the arm. "SH, Eskew!"
he whispered. "Look out what you're sayin'!"

"You needn't mind me," Jonas Tabor spoke up, crisply. "I washed my
hands of all responsibility for Roger's branch of the family long ago.
Never was one of 'em had the energy or brains to make a decent livin',
beginning with Roger; not one worth his salt! I set Roger's son up in
business, and all the return he ever made me was to go into bankruptcy
and take to drink, till he died a sot, like his wife did of shame. I
done all I could when I handed him over my store, and I never expect to
lift a finger for 'em again. Ariel Tabor's my grandniece, but she
didn't act like it, and you can say anything you like about her, for
what I care. The last time I spoke to her was a year and a half ago,
and I don't reckon I'll ever trouble to again."

"How was that, Jonas?" quickly inquired Mr. Davey, who, being the
eldest of the party, was the most curious. "What happened?"

"She was out in the street, up on that high bicycle of Joe Louden's.
He was teachin' her to ride, and she was sittin' on it like a man does.
I stopped and told her she wasn't respectable. Sixteen years old, goin'
on seventeen!"

"What did she say?"

"Laughed," said Jonas, his voice becoming louder as the recital of his
wrongs renewed their sting in his soul. "Laughed!"

"What did you do?"

"I went up to her and told her she wasn't a dece