inanimate object, swung the gasping and helpless
Mr. Davey rapidly back and forth in his chair.
"I shook it good and hard!"

"What did she do then?" asked Peter Bradbury.

"Fell off on me," replied Jonas, violently. "On
purpose!"

"I wisht she'd killed ye," said Mr. Davey, in a
choking voice, as, released, he sank back in his
chair.

"On purpose!" repeated Jonas. "And smashed
a straw hat I hadn't had three months! All to
pieces! So it couldn't be fixed!"

"And what then?" pursued Bradbury.

"SHE ran," replied Jonas, bitterly--" ran! And
Joe Louden--Joe Louden--" He paused and
gulped.

"What did he do?" Peter leaned forward in
his chair eagerly.

The narrator of the outrage gulped again, and
opened and shut his mouth before responding.

"He said if I didn't pay for a broken spoke on