THE COUNTRY BOY 95 



how or other he always wagged at me, not- 

 withstanding the effort. 



It was winter and raining hard one night 

 about eight-thirty, when I was in Wolfard's 

 store. John Wolfard was huddhng around 

 the store dreading to make the dash for home. 

 We were talking about the opportunities of 

 Silverton in general, when he said, "The trouble 

 ain't with Silverton ; it's with you boys. There 

 ain't any of you got any enterprise. For 

 instance, there is old Bob. I don't want to kill 

 him and still he ought to be put out of his 

 misery, and I have offered any of you boys 

 time and again all the crackers and sardines you 

 can eat if Bob disappears. All I want to know 

 is that he is gone and gone for good, and I 

 don't want to hear the particulars." 



I looked down by my chair, and there he sat 

 oily and fat, as sleek as a seal. I looked over 

 behind the counter where they kept the sardines 

 and they looked pretty good. I got up and 

 sorter stretched, when John Wolfard, lighting 

 a new cigar, said, "It's enterprise that you boys 

 lack, the town's all right." 



I went into the back part of the store where 



