He knew cities was
awful wicked an' temptin', he said.
"I laughed him out of that notion quick, an' I was honest in it, too.
I'd have as soon suspected myself of goin' ter the bad as Jimmy, an' I
told him so. Things didn't look right, though. The letters got skurser
an' skurser, an' I began ter think myself maybe somethin' was up. Then
come the newspaper.
"It was me that took it over to the Hadleys. It was a little notice in
my weekly, an' I spied it 'way down in the corner just as I thought I
had the paper all read. 'Twan't so much, but to us 'twas a powerful lot;
jest a little notice that they was glad ter see that the first prize had
gone ter the talented young illustrator, James Hadley, an' that he
deserved it, an' they wished him luck.
"The Hadleys were purty pleased, you'd better believe. They hadn't seen
it, 'course, as they wan't wastin' no money on weeklies them days. Sam
set right down an' wrote, an' so did Mis' Hadley, right out of the
fullness of their hearts. Mis' Hadley give me her letter ter read, she
was that proud an' excited; an' 't was a good letter, all brimmin' over
with love an' pride an' joy in his success. I could see just how Jimmy'd
color up an' choke when he read it, specially where she owned up how
she'd been gettin' purty near discouraged 'cause they didn't hear much
from him, an' how she'd rather die than have her Jimmy fail.
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