And his phylakricy ort to be broad, for it had to be used as a pall time and agin, and it covered, so he thought, a multitude of sins.
Yes, indeed!
Wall, as I say, he wuz to a church meetin’. There wuz a-goin’ to be a Association of Religious Bodies for the Amelioration of Human Woe. And he wuz anxious to be sent as a delegate, so he hung on to the last, and wuz appinted.
But finally he got home, and Annie tackled him on the subject nearest her heart, talked to him with tears in her eyes and a voice tremblin’ with the anguished beatin’s of her poor, achin’ heart.
She begged him to not sell her husband any more drink, begged him for her sake and for the sake of little Rob. For she knew that if the man had a tender place in his heart it wuz for his little nephew. He did love him deeply, or as deep as a man like this could love anything above his money and his reputation as a religious leader.
But he wouldn’t promise, and he acted dretful high-headed and hateful to her to cover up his meanness, for he felt that if he should refuse to sell his stuff, it would not only stop his money-makin’, but it would be like ownin’ up that he had been in the wrong.
And he plumed himself, and carried the idee that cider wuz a healthful beverage, and very strengthenin’ in janders and sech. Why, he carried the idee to the world, and mebby in the first place he did to his own soul, so blindin’ is the spectacles of selfishness that he wore, that he wuz a-doin’ a charitable work a-keepin’ that old cider-mill and saloon a-goin’.
So he wouldn’t pay no attention to her pleadin’s, only acted hateful and cross to her, his guilty conscience makin’ him so, I spoze.
And then, too, he wuz in a hurry, for his church duties wuz a-waitin’ for him, and his barrels of cider wanted doctorin’ with alcohol and sech.
So he turned onto his heel and left her.