He kept hollerin', 'It's a lie--it's a lie,' but when he
got home he found out 't Mrs. Shores had kep' her word 's usual. Mrs.
Macy put cold water to his head 'n' I mixed mustard plasters 'n' put
'em on anywhere 't he was still enough, but all the same they had to
lace him to the ironin' board that night. I hear lots o' folks says 's
he's never really knowed which end up he was walkin' since, but I
guess there's more reasons f'r that 'n her takin' the baby. My own
view o' the matter is 't he misses his clerk full 's much 's he misses
his family, f'r he's got to tend both sides of the store at once 'n'
he don't begin to be as spry 's that young feller was. He can't hop
back 'n' forth over the counter like he used to; he's got to go way
back through the calicoes every time or else climb up in the
window-seat over that squirrel 't he keeps there in a cage advertisin'
fur-lined mitts 'n' winter nuts. Mr. Kimball 's forever makin' one o'
them famous jokes of his over him, 'n' sayin' 't he never looks across
the square without he sees Shores tryin' to rise above his troubles
'n' his squirrel together, but I don't see nothin' funny in any of it
myself.
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