``I don't know, stranger, as Abe ever
was borned; nobody in these mountains
knows it 'f he was. The fust time I ever
heerd tell o' Abe he was a-hollerin' fer his
rights one mawnin' at daylight, endurin'
the war, jes outside o' ole Tom Perkins'
door on Fryin' Pan. Abe was left thar
by some home-gyard, I reckon. Well,
nobody air ever turned out'n doors in
these mountains, as you know, an' Abe
got his rights that mawin', an' he's been
a-gittin' 'em ever sence. Tom already
had a houseful, but 'f any feller got the
bigges' hunk o' corn-bread, that feller was
Abe; an' ef any feller got a-whalin',
hit wasn't Abe.
``Abe tuk to lyin' right naturely--
looked like--afore he could talk. Fact
is, Abe nuver could do nothin' but jes
whisper. Still, Abe could manage to
send a lie furder with that rattlin'
whisper than ole Tom could with
that big horn o' hisn what tells the
boys the revenoos air comin' up Fryin'
Pan.'
``Didn't take Abe long to git to braggin'
an' drinkin' an' naggin' an' hectorin'
--everything, 'mos', 'cept fightin'. Nobody
ever drawed Abe Shivers into a
fight.
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