“Harry, my boy,” said Jim, “your pa and me was old friends.  We have hunted together, fished together, eat together, and slept together many’s the day and night.  He was the best shot that ever come into the woods.  I’ve seed him hit a deer at fifty rod many’s the time, and he used to bring up the nicest tackle for fishin’, every bit of it made with his own hands.  He was the curisist creetur’ I ever seed in my life, and the best; and I’d do more fur ‘im nor fur any livin’ live man.  Oh, I tell ye, we used to have high old times.  It was wuth livin’ a year in the woods jest to have ’im with me for a fortnight.  I never charged ’im a red cent fur nothin’, and I’ve got some of his old tackle now that he give me.  Him an’ me was like brothers, and he used to talk about religion, and tell me I ought to shift over, but I never could see ’zactly what I ought to shift over from, or shift over to; but I let ’im talk, ’cause he liked to.  He used to go out behind the trees nights, and I hearn him sayin’ somethin’—­somethin’ very low, as I am talkin’ to ye now.  Well, he was prayin’; that’s the fact about it, I s’pose; and ye know I felt jest as safe when that man was round!  I don’t believe I could a’ been drownded when he was in the woods any more’n if I’d a’ been a mink.  An’ Paul Benedict is in the poor-house!  I vow I don’t ’zactly see why the Lord let that man go up the spout; but perhaps it’ll all come out right.  Where’s your ma, boy?”

Harry gave a great, shuddering gasp, and, answering him that she was dead, gave himself up to another fit of crying.

“Oh, now don’t! now don’t!” said Jim tenderly, pressing the distressed lad still closer to his heart.  “Don’t ye do it; it don’t do no good.  It jest takes the spunk all out o’ ye.  Ma’s have to die like other folks, or go to the poor-house.  You wouldn’t like to have yer ma in the poor-house.  She’s all right.  God Almighty’s bound to take care o’ her.  Now, ye jest stop that sort o’ thing.  She’s better off with him nor she would be with Tom Buffum—­any amount better off.  Doesn’t Tom Buffum treat your pa well?”

“Oh, no, sir; he doesn’t give him enough to eat, and he doesn’t let him have things in his room, because he says he’ll hurt himself, or break them all to pieces, and he doesn’t give him good clothes, nor anything to cover himself up with when it’s cold.”

“Well, boy,” said Jim, his great frame shaking with indignation, “do ye want to know what I think of Tom Buffum?”

“Yes, sir.”

“It won’t do fur me to tell ye, ’cause I’m rough, but if there’s anything awful bad—­oh, bad as anything can be, in Skeezacks—­I should say that Tom Buffum was an old Skeezacks.”

Jim Fenton was feeling his way.

“I should say he was an infernal old Skeezacks.  That isn’t very bad, is it?”

“I don’t know sir,” replied the boy.

“Well, a d——­d rascal; how’s that?”

“My father never used such words,” replied the boy.