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that was wrong, Pratt!" Abner shook a finger at the offending drug clerk. "If a man don't respect the virture of a pure woman, Pratt, he ain't fitten for the decent men of the county to wipe their feet on." Abner was mounting a high horse whose riding comes natural to all Southerneres. "I say if a man don't hold the honour of his sweetheart closter than he does his own life, he ort to be beat up an' run out of the county! He ort to be—"

At this moment a voice from behind the prescription counter called out curiously, "Ain't that Ab Teeftaller out there?"

"Yeh," ejaculated Abner, startled into ending his harangue.

"By gum, Ab, I ain't seed you for a long time. Heard you got rich as a cattle pen all of a sudden."

Speaking these words, a man in overalls appeared at the entrance of the prescription department. Abner stared a moment and then exclaimed cordially so as not to appear stuck-up, "Why, hello, Tim Fraley, what you doin' up here?"

But the man who has to think not to be stuck-up is stuck-up, and Mr. Fraley saw through Abner's pretence, so he said with a slightly sardonic air, "Oh, camp's jest a mile or two out o' town where us hill-billies stay."

Abner felt the innuendo; there was a moment's hesitation, then, from Abner with renewed cordiality, "Arntown 'bout the same as usual, Tim?"

"I guess so—they're all stirred up over the railroad suit—I guess you don't keep up with sich little things sence you come into yore own."

"Sure I do," protested Abner uncomfortably.

"Well, we've got some little news back there—Tug Beavers is comin' back to hold a meetin' there before long."

"Is that a fack!" cried Abner, pleased at Tug's extraordinary progress.

"Yep, an' they say Professor Overall has landed the winter school here in Lanesburg."

"Now, by God, there's a man of learnin'," praised Abner