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money an' flop to the workin' side, then I'd be a traitor for leavin' my side. Let the rich man stan' by the rich an' the pore by the pore! Now, by God, I'm rich an' I'm stan'in' with 'em, an' if you don't like it you can go to hell!"

An invitation to go to the place of eternal punishment is usually the end of all arguments in Lane County. Mr. Shallburger seemed not to realize this. He stood looking distressfully at Abner, and presently began again with persistent persuasiveness, "But, Mr. Teeftallow, let us look to see which side has right and justice and charity on it—"

"Well, we've got the Bible on our side," interrupted Abner. "Didn't you ever read in the Bible about the feller who lent out his money first here and then there, an' they all got to tradin' with it—I forgit jest how it went; I heard Perry Northcutt tellin' it—but anyway, the idyah was to skin 'em when you can, an' that's in the Bible, Shallburger, an' there's no gittin' around that!"

Shallburger underwent such facial contortions that Abner thought he was about to have a stroke.

"The Bible! The Bible!" he spewed. "Record of an obsolete morality of a barbarous society. What does the Bible know about the complexities and injustices of our proletarian world or the rights of labour! There was no labour in those days."

"Now, look here," interposed Abner solemnly. "When you butt yore head agin the Bible you're buttin' agin a stone wall. Moreover, I won't lissen to you, because God'lmighty might send down a streak of lightnin' to kill you an' hit me by mistake. So it's fare you well if you're goin' to talk like that."

With this the hillman climbed over the rail fence which bordered the road and walked up through a field of scrawny corn stalks toward the old Coltrane place on the hill.

Abner walked quickly, uneasy, because Shallburger by his blasphemy had exposed them both to a bolt from Heaven. The hill youth bristled at the recollection of Shallburger's stupid theories—they were so dead against common sense.