These words drawled slowly forth produced an immediate effect, and caused fifty people to straighten suddenly up and look enquiringly around. The reporter of The Live Wire gave one lightning glance toward the speaker, and then began to write rapidly upon his pad lying before him. The chairman, too, was visibly affected. He leaned forward, and searched the room with his small squinting eyes.
BRAINS, GALL, AN' LUCK
"Put me down fer a thousand."
These words drawled slowly forth produced an immediate effect, and caused fifty people to straighten suddenly up and look enquiringly around. The reporter of The Live Wire gave one lightning glance toward the speaker, and then began to write rapidly upon his pad lying before him. The chairman, too, was visibly affected. He leaned forward, and searched the room with his small squinting eyes.
"Did I hear aright?" he asked. "Did someone say 'a thousand?'"
At once a man in the back row started to rise, but was pulled quickly down by a woman sitting at his side.
"Let go my coat-tails, Tildy," he whispered.
"But, Abner, are you crazy?"
"Crazy, be hanged! Leave me alone, can't ye?"
"Oh, it's you, Mr. Andrews, is it?" the chairman remarked.
"Yes, it's me all right."
"And you wish to give one thousand dollars?"
"That's what I said."
"Well, then, will you please step forward and sign your name?"
"Oh, that feller waggin' the pen kin do it better'n me. Jist tell him to put Abner Andrews, of Ash Pint, down fer a thousand."
"But we would prefer to have your own signature," the chairman insisted. "It is always customary in cases such as this."
"Are ye afraid that I'll back out, an' won't pay?"
"No, not at all, Mr. Andrews. But, you see, it's more business-like to get your name in your own handwriting. We shall make an exception, though, in your case if you so earnestly desire it."
"Now ye're shoutin'."
"Doing what?"
"Shoutin'; talkin' sense. Don't ye git me?"
"H'm, I see," and the chairman leaned his elbow upon the table and gently stroked his chin with the fingers of his right hand. "I didn't understand you at first, as I am not accustomed to such expressions."
"But ye understand the meanin' of a thousand dollars, don't ye?"
"Indeed, I do, Mr. Andrews, and what is more, I wish to thank you very heartily. I am sure that all here to-night feel most grateful to you for your generosity."
"Oh, I don't want ye'r gratitude, an' as fer as I kin see, it's worth darn little."
"Abner! Abner!" the voice at his side chided. "What are you saying?"
"Didn't ye hear, Tildy? Where's ye'r ears?" and Abner turned slightly toward his protesting wife. "I was merely remarkin' that the gratitude of this gatherin' of men an' women is worth darn little. Now, d'ye hear?"
"How do you make that out, Mr. Andrews?" the chairman sharply questioned. "Such a statement demands an explanation."
"Hear! Hear!" came from several.
"How do I make that out?" Abner repeated, as he scratched the back of his head, and let his eyes roam for a few seconds around the room. "Well, I'm jist judgin' accordin' to what I have seen an' heard. Me an' Tildy came to town to-day to do a little shoppin', an' happenin' to hear that there was to be a meetin' of the influential people of this place to see about the buildin' of a Home fer orphan children, we made up our minds to come too. We're mightily interested in orphans, we surely are. I've often told Tildy that it's a downright shame that this town hasn't sich a Home, where poor little orphan kids kin be well looked after."
"You're quite right, Mr. Andrews," the chairman assented. "We have delayed this matter too long already. But now that you have given us such splendid assistance, the work should go rapidly forward. I am very glad that you and your wife came to this meeting."
"Yes, me an' Tildy came here," Abner continued, "expectin' to see somethin' real grand. We've heard a great deal of highfalutin' talk about poor little orphans an' what ought to be done fer 'em. But, skiddy-me-shins, as fer as I kin see it'll all end in wind, an' nuthin''ll be done."
"I object to such remarks," a pompous little man protested, rising suddenly to his feet, and appealing to the chairman. "We didn't come here to listen to such language and abuse from this ignorant countryman."
"You jist flop down an' hold ye'r tongue, Ikey Dimock," Abner ordered. "I've got the floor at present, an' I intend to keep it, too, until I've had my say. You made a big harangue a little while ago, an' how much was it worth? Ten dollars, that's all. An' you one of the richest men in town. An' that's the way with the rest of yez. Ye've talked, but when it came to givin' yez wer'n't there. That's the reason why I said ye'r gratitude is worth darn little. I don't want ye'r gratitude, anyway. It's them poor little orphan kids I'm worried about, an' I guess I'll worry a long time before any Home is built, judgin' by this meetin'. Come, Tildy, let's go home. I've had enough of this."
A complete silence reigned in the room as Abner and his wife walked slowly to the door. When they were at last out of the building, the chairman breathed a sigh of relief, and a slight smile flickered across his face.
"Now that the cyclone is over," he remarked, "we will gather up the fragments that remain and go on with our building."
A ripple of amusement passed through the assembly, and there were numerous whispered conversations. Instead of being very indignant at what Abner had said, all, except Isaac Dimock, were inclined to treat the countryman's cutting words as a joke. They wondered, nevertheless, at the offer he had made of one thousand dollars. The reporter kept steadily on with his writing. He was alive to the situation, and chuckled to himself as he thought of the stirring article he would have for The Live Wire in the morning.
Abner untied his horse from the post near the place of meeting, while his wife scrambled up into the carriage. Neither had spoken a word since leaving the building. It was only when well started on their homeward way that Mrs. Andrews ventured to speak.
"What was the matter with you to-night, Abner?" she enquired.
"Nuthin', as fer as I know."
"Yes, there was, or you wouldn't have spoken and acted the way you did."
"Oh, I jist wanted to give them folks a jolt, that's all."
"And made a fool of yourself, didn't you?"
"De ye think I did, Tildy? Gid-dap, Jerry."
"I know it. Only a fool or a lunatic would offer to give one thousand dollars when he hasn't a cent to his name."
"Ye'r wrong, Tildy. I'm not crazy, an' I don't think I'm altogether a fool. It was somethin' else that shook me timbers at the meetin'."
"What was it?"
"Oh, you know as well as I do. I imagined I was as rich as I used to be several hundred years ago, an'--"
"For pity sakes, Abner, stop that nonsense. Because you think you lived hundreds of years ago, and that you were very rich and a great man, doesn't make you rich and great now. You're only Abner Andrews of Ash Point, and can hardly pay your bills, let alone give one thousand dollars toward building a Home for orphan children."
"But, Tildy, I thought I was really old man Astor, an' saw millions of dollars right before me."
"Well, if that's the way you felt, I think it's about time we called in the doctor. There's surely something wrong with your head."
"But, Tildy, ye don't understand. De ye think I was goin' to set there an' let them people git off with their cussed meanness? Not by a jugful! Gid-dap, Jerry, what's the matter with ye?"
"But what about that thousand dollars? Do you expect to pay it?"
"Sure I do."
"Where's it to come from, then?"
"Oh, I'll find it somewheres."
"Not out of that old farm of ours, let me tell you that. Why, it's nothing but a heap of gravel, and you know as well as I do how hard we scratch and dig to raise anything. But you would buy the place, no matter what I said."
"It's a mighty fine situation, though, Tildy. G'long, Jerry."
"It may be that, Abner, but you can't live on a fine situation these days. Haven't you always had fine situations for over twenty years now, and what have they amounted to?"
"Yes, I've touched on a good many things in that time, Tildy. I ran the old 'Flyin' Scud' on the river fer five years; an' then I bought that thrashin' machine from Sol Britt, an' ran it fer awhile. After that I went in fer lumberin', an' kept it up fer several winters. Now I'm into farmin'. Yes, ye'r quite right about the situations. I've had several fine ones, sure enough."
"And made a mess of them all, Abner. Everything you touched failed. And I expect it will be the same with the farm."
"Oh, I don't know about that, Tildy. We manage to git along an' make a comfortable livin'. I've allus depended upon three things to pull me through."
"You have? What are they? I never heard of them."
"Brains, gall, an' luck. They've never failed me yit, an' I guess they won't now."
"H'm," and Mrs. Andrews tossed her head in disgust. "I know you've got plenty of gall, but as for brains and luck, well, I have my serious doubts."
"Yes, I guess ye'r right, Tildy. I reckon I had a lot of gall when I asked ye to marry me. But as fer brains an' luck, well I don't know. Gid-dap, Jerry."
To these words Mrs. Andrews made no reply. Silence reigned for a few minutes, save for the rattle of the carriage and the beat of the horse's feet upon the road. Abner grew restless. He shifted uneasily in his seat, and coughed. Then he began to whistle, a sure sign of the agitated state of his mind. The whistle soon gave place to the humming of the only piece he knew:
"When Bill Larkins made his money,
Piled it up in heaps galore,
Dam old fool he wasn't happy,
'Cause he always wanted more."
Even this didn't have the desired effect. He could stand anything from his wife but dead silence. That alone affected him.
"Say, Tildy," he at length ventured.
"Well, what is it? I should think you'd be ashamed to speak to me after such insulting words."
"But, Tildy."
"Yes, I hear you. What is it?"
"Didn't Ikey Dimock squirm when I landed on him? Ho, ho!"
"And I squirmed, too, Abner. I never felt so ashamed of anything in all my life."
"But ye didn't squirm like Ikey, though, Tildy. My, it tickled me all to pieces to give him that jolt. Why, I knew Ikey when he used to pick pin-feathers off his mother's chickens when she was gittin' 'em ready fer market. He wasn' sich a bad critter then. But since he got hitched to that high-flyer, an' set up in the hardware bizness, ye can't touch him with a ten-foot pole. But I made him squirm. Ho, ho! G'long, Jerry."
"Maybe you'll squirm, Abner, when they come for that money. Then it won't be such fun. I wonder what Jess'll say. She's coming home to-morrow, remember."
"Jess! Skiddy-me-shins! I fergot all about her!"
"You certainly did. And you must have forgotten that it took every cent we could make and scrape together to put her through the Seminary. What will she say and think when she finds out what you have done?"
"Don't let's tell her, Tildy. She needn't know anythin' about it."
"H'm, that's easier said than done. You'll be the first one to tell her, Abner, when you meet her in the morning at the station."
"No, I won't, Tildy. Jess'll not hear it from me, blamed if she will. G'long, Jerry."
Like many of Hiram Alfred Cody's novels, If Any Man Sin is set in the rough-and-tumble frontier of the Canadian Yukon. Clergyman Martin Rutland has been cast out of the church due to bad behavior. He tries to make a fresh start, but finds that his past misdeeds keep catching up to him.
Written with younger audiences in mind, this engaging tale follows the life of Rodney, a boy who was abandoned as a toddler and raised by the kindly Parson Dan and his wife. But before long, Rod encounters problems with other members of the community who aren't quite as welcoming.
Hiram Alfred Cody was a Canadian clergyman who turned to writing in his spare time, eventually completing dozens of novels over the course of his career. Jess of the Rebel Trail is something of a departure from many of Cody's works. It follows the fortunes of Jess, a rebellious, independent-minded young woman who suddenly finds herself at the center of a family scandal.
At the urging of his mentor, young journalist Tom Reynolds makes his way to the gold mining territory in the far northern reaches of the Canadian Yukon to investigate the mysterious disappearance of eccentric millionaire Henry Redmond. Soon enough, Reynolds finds himself in hot water. Will he crack the case before it's too late?
After three years of loveless marriage, Kira was slapped with divorce papers. She has shown him her unrequited love throughout her entire marriage with him, but he decided to turn blind eyes all because of his lover. Distraught and heartbroken, Kira choose to sign the divorce papers with bitter heart. But then and there, she promised herself that when she's back, he will come crawling to her, but she will make him pay for hurting her. Join Kira as she transform to a wealthy heiress and soared as the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire, a remarkable healer and make her ex-husband pay!
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
Lucia Balstone thought she had chosen the right man to spend the rest of her life with, but he was the one who ended her life. Their ten-year marriage seemed like a joke when her husband stabbed her with a dagger. Fortunately, God is never blind to people's tears. Lucia got a second chance. She was reborn at the age of 22, before all the terrible things had happened. This time, she was determined to avenge herself and let those who hurt her pay! She made an elaborate list of her goals, and the first thing on her list was to marry her ex-husband's enemy, Alonso Callen!
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"