his future conduct was first intimated by his treatment of the
"Widow Cully," an aged and impoverished woman whose property was
heavily mortaged to him. He had curtly summoned her to come to his
office on Christmas Day and settle up. Frightened, hopeless, and
in the face of a snowstorm, the old woman attended, but was
surprised by receiving a "satisfaction piece" in full from the
banker, and a gorgeous Christmas dinner. "All the same," said Mrs.
Bigsby to Lummox, "Dan'l might hev done all this without
frightenin' the poor old critter into a nervous fever, chillin' her
through by makin' her walk two miles through the snow, and keepin'
her on the ragged edge o' despair for two mortal hours! But it's
his humorous way."

"Did he give any reason for being so lenient to the widow?" asked
Lummox.

"He said that her son had given him a core of his apple when they
were boys together. Dan'l ez mighty thoughtful o' folks that was
kind to him in them days."

"Is that all?" said Lummox, astonished.

"Well--I've kinder thought suthin' else," said Mrs. Bigsby
hesitatingly.

"What?"

"That its bein' Christmas Day--and as I've heard tell that's NO DAY
IN LAW, but just like Sunday--Dan'l mebbe thought that he might
crawl outer that satisfaction piece, ef he ever wanted ter! Dan'l