ain't no reason for getting him drunk and a poor way of showing their
thanks and appreciation, and that they all know that he can't stand it,
him being weak in the stomach that way, like all the Tumleys. Mary's
just about ready to give up everything and everybody, she's that
discouraged.

"Well--that's one mess and now there's Uncle Tony in another. It seems
Uncle Tony sold Seth Curtis a hand axe for a dollar and ten cents. Of
course Seth paid for it like he always does--right away. But you know
how forgetful Uncle Tony is getting. Well, it seems he clean forgot
about Seth paying and sent in a bill for a dollar. And now Seth's
hanging around, wanting his ten cents back and saying mean, smart
things.

"And that lazy, gossiping crowd of worthless men folks was just killing
themselves laughing and making fun of poor Uncle Tony, sitting right in
his very own chairs and warming their lazy feet at his comfortable
fire. Uncle Tony happened to be out and those loafers just started in
and what they said about that kind old man made my blood boil. They
were all mean enough, with Seth egging them on every now and then about
that dime that he was cheated out of. But Mert Hagley was the worst.
Of course, everybody knows Mert's just dying to hog Uncle Tony's
business along with his shop, as if the stingy thing wasn't rich enough
already. Well, when Mert heard about that ten-cent mistake he said it
was about time there were a few business changes in Green Valley, that
a few business funerals would help a lot and freshen up things; that
Uncle Tony was no business man, and a lot of that sort of stuff. And
of course Hughey Mason, being a smart Aleck, pipes up and says, 'That's
so, Uncle Tony is no business man. Why, Tom Hall says that when you
find Uncle Tony's emporium locked at eleven o'clock of a winter morning