The golden heart

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1910 Excerpt: ...frame. 'Have to have it to-day, do they?' asks I. Well, they didn't exactly have to have it today, but they'd been waiting some time for it and he cal'lated he'd better get at it. So then I tried bribery; told him I'd pay twice the amount he asked if he'd have the frame ready at nine this morning. He just looked at me as though I was plumb crazy." "He would," laughed Natalie. "They all do that here. If you offer them more than they ask in order to get something right away they think you're insane and generally refuse to do it at all!" "Yes, and old Hedges got quite peevish. 'If I could do it for you I would,' he said. 'Ain't no use offerin' me more money; don't want more money; I give you a price an' if that ain't satisfactory I cal'late you can get someone else to do it for yer.' Then I had to smooth him down, and that took some time. Finally I threw myself on his mercy; asked him to do it just out of pure kindness of heart and brotherly affection. Nothing doing, Miss Curtis. He just blinked his eyes and watched them loading codfish across the street. So then I appealed to his civic pride. I wasn't at all sure he had any; it didn t stick out on him anywhere, but I took a chance." "'Well,' I said, 'I guess it's about the way I've heard it was, Mr. Hedges. They told me I couldn't get anything done in Rockhaven under a fortnight. I. suppose the best thing to do is to send down to Boston and get it there.'" "'Who's been talkin' to yer?' he asked, sort of perking up. 'Some o' them Summer Folks, I cal'late.' I wish vou could have heard him say Summer Folks, Miss Curtis; you'd have felt pretty small and mean. I discovered, by the way, that Hedges divides humanity into three groups: Natives, Painters and Summer Fol...