“Well, your honor, you see I have been wanted here and there so manny times I found meself a resting-place outside of this office, so I could be here when you wanted me—and when you didn’t want me.”
“Do you call that a ‘knowledge-place’? I should call it a ‘resting-place.’”
“I rested while I was getting my knowledge.”
“You were reading, were you?”
“Devil a bit did I read.”
“How, then, did you get your knowledge?”
“Well, if you have things that you try to keep from hearing—and indade I tried to keep from hearing the poor family crying, I was dropping a few tears meself—then—”
“You heard the conversation, did you?”
“I don’t know if that is what you call it, but I don’t care to hear anny more of it; the last toime I felt the way I did was when the only friend I ever had died, and that was me dog. I never had a poor father or mother—if I did, they never told me about it; but one kind lady told the good woman that raised me I was too small to know me father and mother, so I don’t know anny, and if I had anny—God bless ’em!—their son never had to swear all the children was dead to get what the old folks left.”
“Pat, you have heard all about this, have you?”