Encountering Deacon Rank in front of the Banner office, he chanced this somewhat offensive remark:
"Say, Deacon, what's this I hear about you?"
The deacon looked distinctly uneasy.
"You can always hear a lot of things about me that aren't true," he said.
"I ain't so sure about that," said Anderson, eyeing him narrowly. "Hold on! What's your hurry?"
"I—I got to step in here and pay my subscription to the Banner," said the deacon.
"Well, that's something nobody'll believe when they hear about it," said Anderson. "It'll be mighty hard fer the proprieter of the Banner to believe it after all these years."
"Times have been so dog-goned hard fer the last couple of years, I ain't really been able to—"
"Too bad about you," broke in Anderson scornfully.
"Everything costs so much in these days," protested the deacon. "I ain't had a new suit of clothes fer seven or eight years. Can't afford 'em. My wife was sayin' only last night she needed a new hat,—somethin' she can wear all the year round,—but goodness knows this ain't no time to be thinkin' of hats. She—"