is hand, the driver
began: "Look yer, young man. You agreed to give me four dollars to carry
you out to Redstone School-house an' back. My team'll hev to be fed thur
an' I'll hev to eat supper somewhar. Ye'll hev to pay up the money afore
I move a dam foot."

With this he raised the liquor to his lips and swallowed it with one
gulp. The bar-room was crowded, as it usually was at that hour of the
day. For a moment Alfred was confused; he did not possess one cent of
money and it flashed through his mind that no one in the troupe would be
likely to have any. For just one moment his heart started downwards; the
eyes of all were upon him. Pulling himself together and straightening
himself up to his full height, he said: "Mr. Frazier, I hired you to
haul us to the school-house and return and insofar as your horse feed is
concerned, that was not mentioned. I always intended you to eat supper
with us at Eliza Eagle's. When you get back to town and complete your
part of the bargain I will pay you, and not before."

This speech caught the crowd and took the old teamster somewhat by
surprise.

"Wall, ef you'll put up the money with the landlord, I'll take ye out
an' ef ye don't ye can hoof it," was the teamster's reply. Turning to
the bar-tender, he said: "Give me a little more licker."

The last demand of the teamster was not an unreasonable one and it would
not look well to refuse it. Alfred hotly replied: "You'll get your money
when you do your work; I would not put up five cents for you while you
are drinking whiskey."

This angered the old fellow. He sneeringly replied: "I pay fur my licker
an' it's nun uf yer dam business how much I drink uf it."

Through the window Alfred discerned a team and sled driving by. Rushing
out he discovered that it was his Uncle Jack Craft. The two families
were not on speaking terms and had not been for a long time.

Alfred shouted: "Ho, Uncle! Ho, Uncle! Hold on; pull up, I want to see
you."

The uncle seemed more than glad to have Alfred approach him. He did not
even wait to hear the whole of the story Alfred had to tell of Frazier's
meanness. Driving his much larger and more stylish conveyance alongside
Frazier's rig, the passengers and baggage were transferred before
Frazier realized what had transpired. As he emerged from the hotel he
was met with jeers from the troupe as they started off up the old pike,
not so rapidly as Alfred and Uncle Joe once traversed it on Black Fan,
but a