He has -- ah -- a singular aversion to your sex , I understand . No woman has ever been known to get inside of Mr. Bennett 's house since his sister died twenty years ago . '' `` Oh , he is the one , is he ? '' I said , remembering . `` He is the woman hater who threatens that if a woman comes into his yard he 'll chase her out with a pitch-fork . Well , he will not chase ME out ! '' Mr. Allan gave a chuckle -- a ministerial chuckle , but still a chuckle . It irritated me slightly , because it seemed to imply that he thought Alexander Abraham Bennett would be one too many for me . But I did not show Mr. Allan that he annoyed me . It is always a great mistake to let a man see that he can vex you . The next afternoon I harnessed my sorrel pony to the buggy and drove down to Alexander Abraham Bennett 's . As usual , I took William Adolphus with me for company . William Adolphus is my favourite among my six cats . He is black , with a white dicky and beautiful white paws . He sat up on the seat beside me and looked far more like a gentleman than many a man I 've seen in a similar position . Alexander Abraham 's place was about three miles along the White Sands road . I knew the house as soon as I came to it by its neglected appearance . It needed paint badly ; the blinds were crooked and torn ; weeds grew up to the very door . Plainly , there was no woman about THAT place . Still , it was a nice house , and the barns were splendid .
My father always said that when a man 's barns were bigger XXXXX his house it was a sign that his income exceeded his expenditure .
As along among beside by on out than to with