Burton E. Stevenson

“ But every time I breathe you kin hear it creak."
"Every time you breathe! Why, good heavens, man, you don't breathe with your heart!"
Uncle Bige didn't answer, but he made a little motion toward his left side.
The doctor put his ear down and listened a minute, while Uncle Bige breathed slow and solemn. Then he undid his vest and listened again. Then he took hold of Uncle Bige's suspender and worked it up and down two or three times, and then he began to laugh. I never saw a man laugh like he did. ”

“ The folks looked at one another sort of sheepish, thinking that they had been having a good time out of Uncle Bige's being so sick, and then one of the men took the doctor over to one corner and whispered something in his ear.
He kind of snorted, and then he came over to Uncle Bige.
"Bige Cheney," he said, "what's all this humbug about your heart squeakin'? 'Nother case of snake-bite, I reckon!"
"Dr. Sprigg," answered Uncle Bige, very haughty, "I object to bein' addressed in that manner, sir. It ain't no humbug. You see a man on the edge of the grave." ”

“ People would come for six or eight miles to listen to his heart and stay for dinner. Aunt Mary said she was getting mighty tired of running a boarding-house, but Uncle Bige seemed to like it, and as he couldn't do much work on account of his heart, all these visitors helped him pass the time. ”