maybe he would about suit you," and the boy broke into a bunch of celery,
and took out a few tender stalks and rubbed them on a codfish to salt
them, and began to bite the stalks, while he held the sole of one wet boot
up against the stove to dry it, making a smell of burned leather that came
near turning the stomach of the cigar sign.

"Look-a-here boy, don't you call this a disreputable place. Some of the
best people in this town come here," said the grocery man as he held up
the cheese knife and grated his teeth as though he would like to jab it
into the youth.

"O, that's all right, they come here 'cause you trust; but you make up
what you lose by charging it to other people. Pa will make it hot for you
the last of the week. He has been looking over your bill, and comparing it
with the hired girl, and she says we haven't ever had a prune, or
a dried apple, or a raisin, or any cinnamon, or crackers and cheese out of
your store, and he says you are worse than the James brothers, and that
you used to be a three card monte man, and he will have you arrested for
highway robbery, but you can settle that with Pa. I like you, because you
are no ordinary sneak thief, you are a high-toned, gentlemanly sort of a
bilk, and wouldn't take anything you couldn't lift. O, keep your seat, and
don't get excited. It does a man good to hear the truth from one who has
got the nerve to tell it.

"But about the parrot. Ma has been away from home for a week, having a
high old time in Chicago, going to theatres and things, and while she was
gone, I guess the hired girl or somebody learned the parrot some new
things to say. A parrot that can only say 'Polly wants a cracker,' don't
amount to anything--what we need is new style parrots that can converse on
the topics of the day, and say things original. Well, when Ma got back I
guess her conscience hurt her for the way she had been carrying on in
Chicago, and so when she heard the basement of the church was being
frescoed, she invited the committee to hold the Wednesday evening prayer
meeting at our house. First, there were four people came, and Ma asked Pa
to stay to make up a quorum, and Pa said seeing he had two pair, he
guessed he would stay in, and if Ma would deal him a queen he would have a
full hand. I don't know what Pa meant, but he plays draw poker sometimes.
Anyway there was eleven people came including the minister, and after they
had talked about the neighbors a spell, and Ma ha