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Updated: May 23, 2025
As the afternoon was stretching toward evening, Scattergood sauntered into Sheriff Ulysses Watts's barn. "Who's feedin' and waterin' Asa Levens's stock?" he asked. "Dummed if I didn't clean forgit 'em," confessed the sheriff. "Any objection if I look after 'em, Sheriff? Any logical objection? Hoss might need exercisin'. Can't never tell. Want I should drive up and do what's needed to be done?"
That one belongs to a woman, and a more unreasonable woman to try to do business with I never saw." "Um!" said Scattergood. "Know where I been, Johnnie?" "No, sir." "Gittin' married." "What?" "Yes. Me 'n' the lady, we met by arrangement in Boston and got us a preacher and done the job. Marriage, Johnnie, is a doggone solemn matter." "I've heard so," said the young man.
Those who saw him marveled at his demeanor; Scattergood Baines marveled at it, for it was not the demeanor of a man even of an innocent man accused of a crime for which the penalty was death. Abner sat upon the hard bench and looked quietly, even placidly, out at the brightness of day, as it was apparent beyond flimsy iron bars, and his expression was the expression of contentment.
Scattergood chatted on, apparently not interested. "All the dams, booms, cribbings, improvements, and property of the Coldriver Dam and Boom Company ..." the sheriff read. "Including contracts and charter," amended Scattergood. "Including contracts and charter," agreed the sheriff, and Scattergood continued his chat. Bidding began. It was not brisk or exciting.
He ate scarcely anything at the tea-table, for you do not want to put much fuel in an engine when it has nearly reached the depot. Old Dominie Scattergood gave his entire time to religious discourse when he sat with us at the close of the Lord's day. How calm and bright and restful the light that falls on the Sabbath evening tea-table!
"Be much 'bleeged," said Sheriff Watts. Scattergood drove briskly to Asa Levens's farm, watered and fed the stock, and then led out of its stall Asa Levens's favorite driving mare. He hitched it to Asa Levens's buggy and mounted to the seat. "Giddap," he said to the mare, and dropped the reins on her back. She started out of the gate and turned toward town.
In the silence of the vault Scattergood removed his shoes and sat on a pile of bagged silver. His pudgy toes worked busily while he reflected upon the sum of three thousand dollars and what the theft of that amount might indicate. "Looked big to Ovid," he said to himself. Then, "Jest a dum young eediot...."
"Husband hain't in?" "Up the brook, catchin' a mess of trout," she responded, shortly. "He's always catchin' a mess of trout, or huntin' a deer or a partridge or somethin'. If you're ever aimin' to see Jim Bailey here, you want to git around afore daylight or after dark." "Hain't it lucky," said Scattergood, "that some men manages to marry wimmin that kin look after their business?"
He was a red-haired little fellow, white and thin of face, with pipe-stem legs that dangled pitifully. "I fetched him along," said Scattergood. "I wisht you'd look him over." The audience craned its neck, exclaiming, dropping tears. The heart of Coldriver was well protected, it fancied, by an exterior of harshness and suspicion, but Coldriver was wrong.
"You hain't thinkin' he was accused of suthin' he didn't do?" "He told me he took the money. He came to see me before he ran away." "Do tell!" This was news to Scattergood. Neither he nor any other was aware that Mavin Newton had seen or been seen by a soul after the commission of his crime. "He told me," she repeated, "and he said good-by.... But he never told me why.
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