"There's not been much going on," Papa told him, "except my
knock-down-drag-out fight with Ward and the store burning. Then
the kidnapping! And we've already told you how bad all that was.
'Course the fight and losing the store was nothing compared with
that ordeal last week. Me and Nannie aged ten years apiece
Saturday night while the baby was gone."
"I can imagine."
"Yeah, what a time! Every soul in the settlement came, trying
to help, all night long. The women, in the house with Nannie,
crying and praying! The men, out in the woods with me, searching
and cussing! Reckon I ought not say it that way. We was praying,
too. But we was all disgusted with ourselves for letting a snake
like Ward live among us."
"Papa, what was Ward wanting so much money for?"
"To get him a automobile! The man was obsessed with the
notion of buying one. That's what started the whole trouble. You
see, first, he took it in his head he could make big money with
moonshine whiskey. The fool, he came to me wanting money to buy a
copper drum.
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