Why, when old man Scudder had
his house-raisin' last year, his family lived for a week on what was
left over, arter the boys had waltzed through the house that night,--and
the Scudders warn't strangers, either." It was also evident that there
was an uneasy feeling that Spindler's action indicated an unhallowed
leaning towards the minority of respectability and exclusiveness, and
a desertion--without the excuse of matrimony--of the convivial and
independent bachelor majority of Rough and Ready.
"Ef he was stuck after some gal and was kinder looking ahead, I'd hev
understood it," argued another critic.
"Don't ye be too sure he ain't," said Uncle Jim Starbuck gloomily.
"Ye'll find that some blamed woman is at the bottom of this yer 'family'
gathering. That and trouble ez almost all they're made for!"
There happened to be some truth in this dark prophecy, but none of the
kind that the misogynist supposed. In fact, Spindler had called a
few evenings before at the house of the Rev.
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