"Doesn't matter in the least," says Blair. "He made good bait. We're established, I tell you! Get the board together, and we'll let the contracts for the factory. And then—well, McCabe, if our stock doesn't hit one hundred and fifty inside of six months, I—I'll eat every one of these!"
And, say, allowin' for all his extra enthusiasm, it looks like we stood to win. I expect the other directors'll be some jarred, though, when they hear about Alvin. I started in to break it to Swifty Joe.
"By the way, Swifty," says I, "you remember that Barton party who was in here one day?"
"Mister Barton," says he reprovin'. "Say, he was a reg'lar guy, he was!"
"Think so?" says I.
"Think!" explodes Swifty indignant. "Ahr-r-r chee! Why, say, any bonehead could see he was a real' gent to the last tap of the gong."
And, say, I didn't have the heart to break the spell. For, after all, admittin' the state of his belfry, I don't know that many of us has so much on Alvin, at that.
THE END
JOHN FOX, JR'S.
STORIES OF THE KENTUCKY MOUNTAINS