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Tarkington, Booth, 1869-1946

"Penrod and Sam"


A concentration of events had brought it about that, at one and
the same time, Abalene, after a dazzling run of the dice, found
the hauling business an actual danger to the preservation of his
liberty. He won seventeen dollars and sixty cents, and within the
hour found himself in trouble with an officer of the Humane
Society on account of an altercation with Whitey. Abalene had
been offered four dollars for Whitey some ten days earlier;
wherefore he at once drove to the shop of the junk-dealer who had
made the offer and announced his acquiescence in the sacrifice.
"No, suh!" the junk-dealer said, with emphasis, "I awready done
got me a good mule fer my deliv'ry hoss, 'n'at ole Whitey hoss
ain' wuff no fo' dollah nohow! I 'uz a fool when I talk 'bout
th'owin' money roun' that a-way. _I_ know what YOU up to,
Abalene. Man come by here li'l bit ago tole me all 'bout white
man try to 'rest you, ovah on the avvynoo. Yessuh; he say white
man goin' to git you yit an' th'ow you in jail 'count o' Whitey.
White man tryin' to fine out who you IS. He say, nemmine, he'll
know Whitey ag'in, even if he don' know you! He say he ketch you
by the hoss; so you come roun' tryin' fix me up with Whitey so
white man grab me, th'ow ME in 'at jail.


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