make no difference what one of them does, nohow.

But Hank, he always thought he had been bap-
tized reg'lar. And he never was the same after-
ward. He had made his life-long brags, and his
pride was broke in that there one pertic'ler spot.
And he sorrered and grieved over it a good 'eal,
and got grouchier and grouchier and meaner and
meaner, and lickered oftener, if anything. Signing
the pledge couldn't hold Hank. He was worse in
every way after that night in the cistern, and took
to lamming me harder and harder.





CHAPTER III


Well, all the lammings Hank laid on never
done me any good. It seemed like I was
jest natcherally cut out to have no success
in life, and no amount of whaling could change
it, though Hank, he was faithful. Before I was
twelve years old the hull town had seen it, and they
wasn't nothing else expected of me except not to
be any good.

That had its handy sides to it, too. They was