"I never was till I lost my job," he answered, sullenly. "I had a
little then. I had a little the night he sassed me."

"Well! well!" said Mrs. Wadleigh, again. And then she continued,
musingly: "So I s'pose you're Joe Mellen, an' the man you struck was
Solomon Ray?"

He came to his feet with a spring.

"How'd you know?" he shouted.

"Law! I've been visitin' over Hillside way!" said Mrs. Wadleigh,
comfortably. "You couldn't ha' been very smart not to thought o' that
when I mentioned my darter Lucy, an' where the childern went to school.
No smarter'n you was to depend on that old wooden button! I know all
about that drunken scrape. But the queerest part on't was--Solomon Ray
didn't die!"

"Didn't die!" the words halted, and he dragged them forth. "Didn't
die?"

"Law, no! you can't kill a Ray! They brought him to, an' fixed him up
in good shape. I guess you mellered him some, but he's more scairt than
hurt. He won't prosecute. You needn't be afraid. He said he dared you
to it. There, there now! I wouldn't. My sake alive! le' me git a
light!"

For the stranger sat with his head bowed on the table, and he trembled
like a child.