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up; so he had dumb in by the shed. He kept a-looking me all over.

By-and-by he says: ssssssssss

"Starchy clothes -- very. You think you're a good deal of a big-bug,

don't you?" ssssssssss

"Maybe I am, maybe I ain't," I says.

"Don't you give me none o' your lip," says he. "You've put on con-

siderble many frills since I been away. I'll take you down a peg before

I get done with you. You're educated, too, they say; can read and write.

You think you're betfcer'n your father, now, don't you, because he can't?

I'll take it out of you. Who told you you might meddle with such

hifalut-'n foolishness, hey? -- who told you you could?"

"The widow. She told me."

"The widow, hey? -- and who told the widow she could put in her

shovel about a thing that ain't none of her business?"

"Nobody never told her."

"Well, I'll learn her how to meddle. And looky here -- you drop that

school, you hear? I'll learn people to bring up a boy to put on airs over

his own father and let on to be better'n what he is. You lemme catch

you fooling around that school again, you hear? Your mother couldn't

read, and she couldn't write, nuther, before she died. None of the family

couldn't, before they died. I can't; and here you're a-swelling yourself

up like this. I ain't the man to stand it -- you hear? Say -- lemme hear

you read." ssssssssss

I took up a book and begun something about General Washington and the

wars. When I'd read about a half a minute, he fetched the book a whack with

his hand and knocked it across the house. He says:

"It's so. You can do it. I had my doubts when you told me. Now looky

here; you stop that putting on frills. I won't have it. I'll lay for you, my

smarty; and if I catch you about that school I'll tan you good. First you know

you'll get religion, too. I never see such a son."

He took up a little blue and yaller picture of some cows and a boy, and

says:

"What's this?" ssssssssss

ssssssssss

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