"He did? Well, I declare!"
"Yes, and Abner's in jail, repenting, no doubt."
"Repenting? Not a bit of it. He's raging like a caged lion, if I'm not mistaken. My, how I'd like to have seen him at Joe. I've had no love for that fellow since he wrote that nasty skit about me last year. Did he put up much of a fight?"
"Who? Abner?"
"No; Joe."
"He tried to, so I heard, but he hadn't the ghost of a chance against that farmer giant. He came into the office, stuck a copy of the Wire before Joe's nose, and asked him if he had written that article about his wife. Joe got mad, blazed up, and consigned Abner to the hot place."
"Good Lord!" Whittles gasped. "Joe must have been crazy."
"If he wasn't crazy then, he was a few minutes later. Tom, the office boy, said it was terrible. Abner gave a roar like thunder and sailed into Joe. When the police arrived there wasn't much of Joe left, according to Tom. He was unconscious, and the office was badly damaged."
"Did the police have any trouble with Abner?" Whittles asked almost breathlessly.
"No, I guess not. He went like a lamb, though Tom said he had a wild look in his eyes."