“Mart’n Luther ’s savin’, an’ no mistake,” she continued musingly. “He would n’t let me put him up no lunch to-day, ’cause he said Tom Dwyer would be sure to ask him to eat with him, an’ if he did n't, he could easy get hold o’ some fruit on exhibition. He said to save the food fer his supper to-night, an’ he ’d git along somehow.”
“COME! LET ’S GO AFORE I FAINT DEAD AWAY!’” (SEE PAGE 110.)
“He ought to be worth several thousand dollars, at that rate,” observed the boy, not without indignation. “But what good is his money to him, or to you, if he does n’t enjoy it? You ought to have a better allowance than you do, for you ’ve certainly helped him to accumulate the money.”
She heaved a little sigh.
“He says he can’t afford any more,” she replied, ‘an’ I ’m satisfied, as things be. I used to long to buy pretty things an’ go ’round, once in a while, but I ‘ve got all over that now. I ’m happy, an’ the Lord takes keer o’ me. Did n't He send you here to-day with the—this—orto—orto—machine o’ yours?”
“I wonder if He did?” returned the boy, gravely. “Oh, here ’s the dreadful toll-gate, Aunt ’Phroney.”
It was nearly eleven o'clock when they entered the big gate of the fair grounds. The automobile attracted considerable attention, although there were two or three others in Fennport. As the boy assisted Aunt ’Phroney from the car, she was recognized by several acquaintances who frequented her church, and it was good to witness the old woman’s pride and satisfaction at the looks of bewilderment that greeted her. She took the boy’s arm and passed through the crowd with her chin well up, and presently they were in the main pavilion, where the largest part of the display was centered.
“Let ’s look at the fruits an’ veg’tibles,’ she eagerly exclaimed. “I want to see if Mart’n Luther ’s won any prizes. Do you know, boy, he promised me all the money he won that come to over four dollars?”
“Did he really?”
“Yes, he were feelin’ quite chirky this mornin’, ‘fore he left, so he promised it. But if he won first prize on evrything, it ’d be only five dollars altogether, so I guess he did n’t risk much.”
They found the fruits, but Martin Luther’s red apples had no ribbon on them, either blue or red.
“They don’t look as good here, ‘longside the others, as they did to home,’ sighed Aunt ’Phroney; “so I guess the jedge was correc’ in109
