"
Mandy said, "I bet a dollar I do."
Then she broke into a loud laugh. Hiram evidently thought it was very
funny and laughed until the tears stood in his eyes.
"What are you laughing for?" asked Mandy.
Hiram's countenance fell.
"Come down to the fine point, Mandy, durned if I know."
"That's a great trick of yours, Hiram," said Mandy. "You ought not to
laugh at anything unless you understand it."
"I guess I wouldn't laugh much then," said Hiram. "I allus laugh when I
don't understand anythin', so folks won't think that I don't know where
the p'int domes in. But say, Mandy, what did Pettengill go to the city
for?"
During this conversation Hiram had been eating the breakfast that had
been prepared for Ezekiel. Mandy sat down near him and said, "I'll tell
you, but it ain't nothing to laugh at. Mr. Pettengill had a telegraph
message come last night."
"You don't say so!" said Hiram. "It must be pretty important for persons
to spend money that way. Nobody dead, I s'pose?"
"Well," said Mandy, "Mr. Pettengill left the telegram in his room and I
had to read it to see whether I had to throw it away or not, and I
remember every word that was in it.
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