Francis Lynde

“ If that man could stand up and tell plausible falsehoods without tripping, he would presently show them that he could do as well with the truth, at any rate.
"If there are no more questions, we will hear what Mr. Jarnagan has to say," said the judge; and Tom set his teeth and tried hard to keep his knees from knocking together.
The air in the room was very close; and while the moderator waited, Simpson, who was sitting directly behind Tom, got up to raise the window at his back; and Manville shifted his chair and opened the back door. ”

“ A bit of carelessness is sometimes like a match dropped on dry prairie, and you've been finding out what it costs to put out the fire after it has time to make headway."
The neighborhood lamps had all been reclaimed save one, and Simpson was holding that to light the group to the door. In the road the party separated, Judge Sloan and Mr. Haworth driving to town in the agent's buggy with Mr. Jarnagan's horse in tow, and the passenger-agent walking to The Maples with Kate and Tom and Eleanor. ”

“ When he reached the platform and sat down facing the terrible battery of more than two hundred human eyes, the room spun around, and the kerosene lamps, brought in for the occasion by the neighbors, lurched and flickered in a most distressing manner. ”

“ I've found out why so many of you didn't seem to have any use for me to-day. You believed that story about the washouts; and you thought I knew, and was just trying to get you to buy tickets our way, anyhow.
"I didn't know, and maybe I can prove it; but first I want to tell you some things that Mr. Manville left out. He told you what he'd do for you if you go his way; but he forgot to tell you that he gave Mr. Olestrom a free pass for promising to take all the Scandinavian colonists over his line. Now, I don't think that's quite fair to the rest of you ”

“ Our general passenger-agent says it isn't true, and that's all there is of it. He wired me this morning to get out a special edition of the 'Argus' to contradict it, if I wished to, and I'd have done it if there'd been time. More than that, he said he'd have Mr. Manville's general passenger-agent deny it to Mr. Haworth, so you'd know it was all straight and fair, and—"
He was leaning heavily on the back of his chair, and just at this point Aaron Simpson, whose foot was on one of the rounds, did something that made Tom lose his balance. ”

“ If the old man 'll only hold that telegram back; or if Norty can manage to delay it—" He crossed the road and followed Tom into the school-house.
The little square room was well filled when Tom found seats near the door for his companions and himself. Judge Sloan and a committee, of which Aaron Simpson was the chairman, occupied seats on the teacher's platform; and when Manville entered he walked boldly up the aisle and took a vacant chair beside them. ”