Seth Wingate's wife for havin' a new bunnit this season when the old one
wan't ha'f wore out. She talked for ten minutes or so on that, and then
she begun about Parker's bein' let go over at the cable station and
about the new feller that's been signed to take his place. She's all for
Parker. Says he was a 'perfectly lovely' man and that 'twas outrageous
the way he was treated, and all that sort of thing."

"She ain't the only one that thinks so," observed Captain Jerry.
"There's a heap of folks in this town that think Parker was a mighty
fine feller."

"Yes," said Captain Eri, "and it's worth while noticin' who they be.
Perez' friend, M'lissy, thinks so, and 'Squealer' Wixon and his gang
think so, and 'Web' Saunders thinks so, and a lot more like them. Parker
was TOO good a feller, that's what was the matter with him. His talk
always reminded me of washday at the poorhouse, lots of soft soap with
plenty of lye in it."

"Well, M'lissy says that the men over to the station--all except
Langley, of course--are mad as all git-out because Parker was let
go, and she says somebody told somebody else, and somebody else told
somebody else, and somebody else told HER--she says it come reel
straight--that the men are goin' to make it hot for the new feller when
he comes. She says his name's Hazeltine, or somethin' like that, and
that he's goin' to get here to-morrer or next day."

"Well," said Captain Eri, "it's a mercy M'lissy found it out. If that
man should git here and she not know it aforehand 'twould kill her sure
as fate, and think what a blow that would be to you, Perez."