wouldn't accept the attentions of a man who divided his attentions between me and saloons, gamblin' halls and horse races," sez I.
"What do you mean?" he yelled out.
"Jest what I say," sez I, a-gittin' up and puttin' in another stick of wood and a-seatin' myself some nigher the wood-box, for I didn't know what he might be led to do, for I could see as plain as anything that he wuzn't quite himself, and you never can calculate what such a man may take it into his head to do. But I felt considerable easy when I had a good stout birch stick of wood right at hand, not that I wuz really 'fraid on him: dissipation had told on him so he looked considerable tottlin' and shaky under all the outside veneer of fashion he'd put on; but how can you tell what a poor, miserable tike will take into his head? Why, dissipation jest onhinges all the moral and spiritual graces, all the manliness and self-respect and will-power, and jest lets 'em all tottle down into ruin, and I don't believe he had many graces to onjint in the first place.
"What do you mean?" sez he, lookin' meachin', meachin' as a dog.
"Why," sez I, a-feelin' it my bounden duty to stand between Dora and trouble, "I mean that it is a shame and a disgrace for such a man as you are to even talk of takin' a sweet, innocent young girl into a life like yours."
"She fills my heart," sez he, "and my life, and has for years."
"Not full!" sez I, lookin' at him keenly, "not full! If she did her sweet image would have banished the other vile inmates that have abounded there—wicked companions, evil ways of all kinds. What room is there
