LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. “That every star was an eye looking down on me with pity.” (Frontispiece.)

2. Character title.

PAGE

3. Betsy Gaskins 7

4. Initial T 11

5. Jobe Gaskins 13

6. Initial M 15

7. “We both hankered” 17

8. “I did git him started to readin” 19

9. “That canderdate feller” 20

10. Tailpiece 21

11. “Me a knittin, him a settin and studyin” 23

12. “‘Talkin like them blame Populists’” 26

13. “I waked not until broad daylite” 28

14. “‘Feedin-feedin, of course,’ says he” 29

15. “‘Do you promis?’ says I, girlish like” 30

16. “I sot down, lookin him square in the face” 31

17. Bill Bowers 32

18. Ornamental tailpiece 37

19. “‘Ide vote the Dimicrat ticket at the very next township election’” 39

20. “They waked me up at the dead hour of midnite” 41

21. “That very sheet of paper” 45

22. Congressman Richer 46

23. “Jobe works and sweats” 47

24. Ornamental tailpiece 48

25. “Jobe and me both sot down and cried” 50

26. “Started for town bright and airly” 54

27. “Jobe and me counted up how much we had” 57

28. “That nite I put another patch on his pants” 62

29. “He explained to Mr. Jones” 63

xii30. Ornamental tailpiece 64

31. Ornamental tailpiece 68

32. “Peekin through a crack” 70

33. “Jist a layin it off with his hands” 71

34. “‘Mistur Court, Gaskins is here’” 74

35. “‘I ’bject’” 76

36. “‘I want to prove to you, Mistur Judge’” 79

37. “‘This is the law, whether it is justice or not’” 81

38. “Jobe and me sot there dazed like” 82

39. Aunt Jane 84

40. “He would call him ‘Billy,’ in honor of the next president” 85

41. “Before Jobe could git up, William hit him agin” 86

42. Ornamental tailpiece 88

43. “He would rather pay seven per cent. than six, in order to support a sound money basis” 90

44. “‘Law or no law,’ says I” 91

45. “‘Payin it in gold to keep your party in power is up-hill bizness’” 92

46. “‘John Sherman is the greatest financier on airth’” 95

47. Ornamental tailpiece 96

48. “‘Now, Betsy, you see what kind of a party you belong to’” 98

49. “So I went to work and cut out the headin” 100

50. “‘It is all over, Betsy,’ says he” 101

51. “That nite he slept in the barn” 103

52. “‘Jobe Gaskins, you make another move!’” 105

53. “‘Are you mad, Betsy?’ says he” 108

54. “Jobe was on his knees in the middle of the bed” 113

55. “A strait, influential, leadin Republican officeholder” 115

56. “Lots of fellers jist like him” 116

57. “Jobe he flew up” 119

58. “It wasent anything onusual for a county officer to make all he could” 120

59. “‘Hadent we all ort to be satisfied so long as bonds sell well?’” 121

60. “‘Times are never hard under a gold basis,’ Jobe says” 122

61. “They whispered and snickered at my straw hat and Jobe’s linen coat” 125

62. “He said the rich all belong to church” 126

63. Harvesting 129

64. “I was puttin salve on Jobe’s hands” 130

65. The hand that voted “the strait ticket” 131

xiii66. “Some good men in case of labor trouble” 133

67. “Some of the little children are pretty” 136

68. “Jobe took what hay he could spare” 138

69. “They are kept so busy legislatin” 139

70. “A huntin them overhalls” 142

71. “I had sot down and went to churnin” 143

72. “The Dimicratic bloomers” 146

73. “‘Hello, mistur’” 147

74. “‘We ketch em a comin and we ketch em a goin’” 148

75. “I seen him a comin up the lane” 151

76. “The fust time for nigh onto twenty years” 153

77. “Billot jist laughed at him” 155

78. “Jobe he got mad and called Billot a Populist” 156

79. Ornamental tailpiece—sunset 157

80. “Lawyers a talkin and a laffin” 159

81. “‘Mistur Moore, how long has it been since you quit advocatin the use of good, old-fashioned greenbacks?’” 161

82. “‘Lawyer—Dimicratic lawyer and polertician’” 164

83. “He carried a banner” 167

84. “I got a straw and tickled his nose” 171

85. Ornamental tailpiece 179

86. “It was nearly mornin when I heerd the patriotic sounds of the fish-horn” 181

87. “He looked kind a pale” 182

88. “‘Give us a tune, Jobe’” 183

89. “‘This is not accordin to contract’” 184

90. “We hitched in front of Urfer’s big dry goods store” 186

91. “‘Ready’” 187

92. “‘I am a banker, sir, a banker‘” 190

93. “He made sich a fine argament for gold and agin other money” 193

94. Little Jane 196

95. “I could nearly see her little dimpled fingers pattin the airth around the roots of that little bush” 197

96. “‘Mamma, ... how pritty!’” 198

97. Ornamental tailpiece 199

98. “Jobe jist lays and moans” 200

99. “I have to chop all the wood” 201

100. “‘Out with it, Bill; we are prepared for the wust’” 203

101. “‘Ile tell you, Betsy. Ive made up my mind to try them Populists hereafter’” 205

xiv102. “‘O, Lord, is there no other way to do?’” 209

103. “He drawed me over in his arms and kissed me” 212

104. “He was wipin his eyes and blowin his nose as he went towards town” 213

105. “Then sot down and cried and kept a cryin every little bit all mornin” 214

106. “They pulled me away from the winder” 218

107. “At all the gates around the big fence they had signs stuck up” 221

108. “I asked him for something to eat” 222

109. “‘Well, old man, sich things hadent ort to be’” 225

110. “I slipped over and put my face agin the glass” 229

111. “The feller turned around and looked black at me” 233

112. “I have to work hard in this place” 236

113. “One nice little place that I thought I would rent as soon as I got my first week’s pay” 239

114. “I worked there three weeks” 241

115. “Everything was cold and dark” 242

116. Initial M—Hattie Moore 244

117. “He teched me on the shoulder” 247

118. “I got onto a freight train” 248

119. “Pushing back the hair of the sick woman, leaned over and kissed her on the forehead” 250

120. “There lay Mrs. Gaskins” 252

121. “There again was the face of that little girl and the face of an old man” 253

122. “In the morning there was found a white-haired man” 254

123. Tailpiece—the rose-bush on the grave 255

124. Initial B—the editor 256

125. “Behold! See that money!” 265

127. The world’s oppressor 274

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