"I should say she ain't," Mrs. Snawdor continued. "I never seen nothin'
more pathetical than that there boy when he was no more than three years
old, a-tryin' to feed hisself outer the garbage can, an' her a comin an'
a goin' in the alley all these years with her nose in the air, too good
to speak to anybody."
"Dan don't think his mother's bad to him," said Nance. "He saved up his
shoe-shine money an' bought her some perfumery. He lemme smell it."
"Oh, yes!" said Mrs. Snawdor, "she's got to have her perfumery, an' her
feather in her hat, an' the whitewash on her face, no matter if Dan's
feet are on the groun', an' his naked hide shinin' through his shirt."
"Well, I wish him an' this here little girl wasn't mixed up in this
business," repeated Uncle Jed. "Courts ain't no place fer children. Seems
like I can't stand fer our little Nance to be mixin' up with shady
characters."
Nance shot an apprehensive glance at him and began to look anxious. She
had never seen Uncle Jed so solemn before.
"You jes' remember this here, Nancy," went on the signalman, who could no
more refrain from pointing a moral when the chance presented itself, than
a gun can help going off when the trigger is pulled; "nothin' good ever
comes from breakin' laws. They wouldn't a-been made into laws if they
wasn't fer our good, an' even when we don't see no reason in keepin' 'em,
we ain't got no more right to break through than one of them engines up
at the crossing's got a right to come ahead when I signals it from the
tower to stop.
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