"
Quincy determined to get even with Mrs. Putnam for the questioning she
put him through, so he said, "Did you make your money speculating, Mrs.
Putnam?"
"No," said she, "pa made it by hard work on the farm; but he gave it all
to me more'n fifteen year ago, and he hasn't got a cent to his name.
He's just as bad off as Jim Sawyer. I feed him and clothe him and shall
have to bury him. I guess it seems kinder odd to ye, so I reckon I'll
have to tell ye the hull story. I've told it a dozen times, but I guess
it'll bear tellin' once more. You see my husband here, Silas Putnam, was
brought up religis and he's allus been a churchgoin' man. We were both
Methodists, and everythin' went all right till one day a Second Advent
preacher came along, and then things went all wrong. He canoodled my
husband into believin' that the end of the world was comin' and it was
his duty to give all his property away, so he could stand clean handed
afore the Lord. My dander riz when I heerd them makin' their plans, but
afore my husband got deef he was great on argifyin' and argumentin', and
I didn't stand much show against two on 'em; but when Silas told me he
was goin' to give his property away I sot up my Ebenezer, and I says,
'Silas Putnam, if you gives your property to any one you gives it to
me.
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