"What do the boys say to you when you go to the reunions?" he asked.
"They tell me to take a little whiskey for my stummick's sake," said
Hiram, "and some of them advise me to put on a plaster, and, darn 'em,
they always take me and toss me in a blanket every time I go, and onct
they made me a present of a bottleful of milk with a piece of rubber
hose on top of it. They said it would be good for me, but I chucked it
at the feller's head, darn him."
Quincy had another good laugh. Then he resumed his usual grave
expression and asked, "What town offices does the singing-master hold?"
"Well," said Hiram, "he is fence viewer and hog reeve and pound keeper,
but the only thing he gets much money out of is tax collector. He gets
two per cent on about thirty thousand dollars, which gives him about ten
dollars a week on an average, 'cause he don't get no pay if he don't
collect."
"Did he get a big vote for the place?" asked Quincy.
"No," said Hiram "he just got in by the skin of his teeth; he had last
town meetin' two more votes than Wallace Stackpole, and Wallace would
have got it anyhow if it hadn't been for an unfortunate accident.
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