Page:Teeftallow-1926.djvu/17

going to make a speech up there this evenin'” (meaning “this afternoon”).

“I bet he is,” agreed Sandage gloomily. “It’s about this boy here.”

Jones looked at Abner.

“I don’t guess you know him,” said Sandage, “but you did know his daddy. It’s Abner Teeftaller, Linsey Teeftaller’s boy.”

Mr. Jones appraised the well-set-up lad. “Yes, I ricollect Linsey; I—er—got him out of a little trouble oncet or twicet. In fact, he sent the sheriff to me to bail him out the last time he was in jail, and I’ve allus felt kinder bad fer not doin’ it. If I’d uh knowed he was as sick as he was, I'd uh seen to it.”

Here the big man aroused himself from his memories to say briskly, “Well, I’m not surprised that his boy is in trouble—the Gran’ Jury’s settin’ now—what’s he done?”

“Tain’t so much him as me,” admitted Sandage ruefully.

“You! A politician, Jim, I’m surprised!”

“That’s the reason,” explained Sandage. “Lem Overall is a-goin’ to prosecute me under the compulsory edjercation law fer not sendin’ this boy to school. Of course, it’s because me an’ him air runnin’ fer the same office.”

Railroad Jones waxed sarcastic. “Lem Overall prosecutin’ a boy fer not goin’ to school when edjercation has made a complete fool out of him! Why, Jim, you done exactly right. Don’t you never teach that boy to read nor write. Readin’ an writin’ ’ll ruin anybody’s ricollection. Why, it jest makes a plum blank out of a man!”

“That’s the truth,” agreed Sandage earnestly.

The magnate was mounted on his hobby now. “When I see these edjercated fellows goin’ aroun’ puttin’ things they want to ricolleck down in a little book, I think, ‘You pore addle-headed fools, when you lose yore little book, what'll you do? Why don’t you put it up here where you kain’t lose it?’” He lifted his arm with a massive gesture and