Page:O'Higgins--From the life.djvu/272

 It startled Ben. "Who?" he asked, hoarsely.

Matt did not reply. He flung his line. "Boys growin' up?"

Ben made as if to speak, checked himself, looked at his watch, and asked, in a harsh tone: "Well, what about your place? What do you want? Money?"

"What's that to you?"

"They're throwing it up to me for letting one of my family live here in this sort of way. It isn't my fault, is it? What's the matter with you? Don't you care how you live? I'd think your wife 'd want to do better if you wouldn't."

Matt replied: "I didn't have your luck, Ben. I didn't marry money."

"If you think I got anything out of my wife's money— She's given more to her church than she ever had when I married her."

After an interval of thought Matt observed: "She's took to religion, eh? Well, that's better than rum."

"What's rum got to do with it?"

"Nuthin'," Matt said, "'cept that I hear your boys are goin' in fer it pretty strong."

Ben did not reply.

Matt fished. "People nowadays," he reflected, "they don't seem to think there's any hell—so I guess we'll all be happy in heaven, uh? Think you're goin' there, Ben?" He added, in interpretation of his brother's eye-puckered silence: "Don't