had in it and who wrote them and what was in them, and what a bargain it was for five cents.’W-w-w-why,’he says,’if you b-b-b-bought it in a book, why it’d cost you a d-d-d-dollar and a half and then,’he says,’it wouldn’t be half as good.’Well, Dave was getting sort of red in the face by that time,” Mr. Candler said, “and I could see he was sort of annoyed at being interrupted, but the boy kept right on with his spiel and wouldn’t give up.’I don’t want it,’says Dave,’I'm busy,’and he tries to turn away from him, but Luke moves right around to the other side and goes after him about twice as hard as before.’Go on, go on,’says Dave.’We’re busy! I don’t want it! I can’t read!’he says.’All right,’says Luke,’then you can look at the p-p-p-pictures. Why, the pictures alone,’he says,’are w-w-w-worth a half a dollar. It’s the b-b-b-bargain of a lifetime,’he says. Well, the boy was pressing him pretty hard and I guess Dave lost his temper. He sort of knocked the magazine away from him and shouted,’Damn it, I told you that I didn’t want it, and I mean it! Now go on! We’re busy.’Well,” said Mr. Candler, “Luke didn’t say a word for a moment. He took his magazine and put it under his arm again, and he just stood there looking at Dave Redmond for a moment, and then he said, just as quiet as you please,’All right, sir. You’re the doctor. But I think you’re going to regret it!’And then he turned and walked away from us. Well, sir,” said Mr. Candler, laughing, “Dave Redmond’s face was a study. You could see he felt pretty small to think he had shouted at the boy like that, and acted as he did. And Luke hadn’t gone twenty feet before Dave Redmond called him back.’Here, son,’he says, diving his hand down into his pocket,’give me one of those things! I may never read it but it’s worth a dollar just to hear you talk.’And he gave him a dollar, too, and made him take it,” Mr. Candler said, “and from that day on Dave Redmond was one of the biggest boosters that Luke had….’I think you’re going to regret it,’” said Mr. Candler again, laughing at the memory. “That’s the thing that did it—that’s what got him—the way the boy just looked at him and said,’All right, sir, but I think you’re going to regret it.’That did the trick, all right.” And pleased with his story and the memory it evoked, Mr. Candler looked mildly out of the window for a moment, smiling.
“That was Luke that done that?” Mr. Flood demanded hoarsely after a moment, with his air of brutal and rather stunned surprise. “The one that stutters?”
“Yes, that’s the one all right,” said Mr. Candler. “That’s who it was.”
