“Why, see here.  You’ve got me charged with six yards of muslin and five pounds of butter that I never got!”

“Are you certain of this, Mrs. Smith?”

“Certain!  Be sure I’m certain!  D’ye think I’d say I hadn’t the things, if I had them?  I’m not quite so bad as that, Mr. Adkin!”

“Don’t get excited about the matter, Mrs. Smith.  We are all liable to mistakes.  There’s an error here, either on your side or mine, if it is my error, I will promptly correct it.”

“Of course it’s your error.  I never had either the muslin or the butter,” said Mrs. Smith, positively.

Mr. Adkin turned to his ledger, where Mrs. Smith’s account was posted.

“The muslin is charged on the 10th of June.”

Mrs. Smith looked at the bill and answered affirmatively.

“You bought a pound of yarn and a straw hat on the same day.”

“Yes; I remember them.  But I didn’t get the muslin.”

“Think again, Mrs. Smith.  Don’t you remember the beautiful piece of Merrimac that I showed you, and how cheap you thought it?”

“I never had six yards of muslin, Mr. Adkin.”

“But, Mrs. Smith, I have distinct recollection of measuring it off, and the charge is here in my own handwriting.”

“I never had it, Mr. Adkin!” said the lady much excited.

“You certainly had, Mrs. Smith.”

“I’ll never pay for it!”

“Don’t say that, Mrs. Smith.  You certainly wouldn’t want my goods without paying for them!”

“I never had the muslin, I tell you!”

Argument in the case Mr. Adkin found to be useless.  The sale of the five pounds of butter was as distinctly remembered by him; and as he was not the man to yield a right when he had no doubt as to its existence, he would not erase the articles from Mrs Smith bill, which was paid under protest.

“It’s the last cent you’ll ever get of my money!” said Mrs. Smith, as she handed over, the amount of the bill.  “I never had those articles; and I shall always say that I was wronged out of so much money.”

“I’m sure, madam, I don’t want your custom, if I’m expected to let you have my goods for nothing,” retorted Mr. Adkin, the natural man in him growing strong under an allegation that implied dishonesty.

So the two parted, neither feeling good-will toward the other, and neither being in a very composed state of mind.

Each day in that week brought something to disturb the mind of Mr. Adkin; and each day brought him into unpleasant business contact with someone in the town of Mayberry.  To avoid, these things was almost impossible, particularly for a man of Mr. Adkin’s temperament.

Saturday night came, always a busy night for the storekeeper.  It was ten o’clock, and customers were still coming in, when a lad handed Mr. Adkin a note, it was from the regularly stationed minister of the church in Mayberry to which Mr. Adkin belonged.  The note stated, briefly, that the writer was so much indisposed, that he would not be able to preach on the next day, and conveyed the request that “Brother Adkin” would “fill the pulpit for him in the morning.”