第11章

Iwastiredofbeingcatechized。Ihadnotmeanttotellhimanything。NowIdecidedtotellhimall。Ifitangeredhim，somuchthebetter。

"IsenthimwordthatwhatIsavedwasn’tworththemoney。"

Tomyamazementhewasnotangry。Insteadheslappedhiskneeandlaughedaloud。

"Ho！ho！"heshouted。"Humph！Well，thatwas……I’dliketohaveseenhisfacewhenhegotthatmessage。No，thatyoungmanwon’tdo。Hewon’tdoatall。"

Itwasnotformetodisputethisconclusion，evenifIhaddisagreedwithhim，whichIdidnot。Isaidnothing。Herubbedhiskneeforamomentandthenchangedthesubject。

"HowdidyouhappentobeontheLowerRoadatthattimeofthenight？"heasked。"I’mmightygladyouwerethere，ofcourse，butwheredidyoucomefrom？"

"Ileftthefestivalratherlateand——"

"Festival？Oh，thatthingupatthechurch。Ididn’tseeyouthere。"

Ihadtakenpainsthatheshouldnotseeme。

"Doyoumeantotellme，"hecontinued，"thatyouenjoyathinglikethat？WhatinblazesmadeMabelwanttogoIdon’tsee！SheandCarverweresetongoing；anditwouldbethetreatofalifetime，orwordstothateffect。Ican’tseeitmyself。OfallthewoodenheadedjaysIeverlaideyesonthistownholdsthefinestcollection。Narrowandstubbornandblindtotheirowninterests！"

ThiswasmorelikewhatIexpectedfromhimandIresentedit。ItmayseemoddthatI，ofallpersons，shouldhavetakenuponmyselfthedefenseofDenboroanditsinhabitants，butthatiswhatIdid。

"Theyarenomorenarrowandstubbornintheirwaythancitypeopleareintheirs，"Ideclared。"Theyresentbeingorderedaboutasiftheiropinionsandwishescountedfornothing，andIhonorthemforit。"

"Do，hey？"

"Yes，Ido。Mr。Colton，Itellyouthatyouareallwrong。Simplybecauseamanlivesinthecountryitdoesnotfollowthatheisablockhead。NooneinDenboroisrich，asyouwouldcountriches，butplentyofthemareindependentandasknohelpfromanyone。

Youcan’tdrivethem。"

"Can’tI？"

"No，youcan’t。Andifyouwantfavorsfrommenhereyoumustaskforthem，nottrytobully。"

"Idon’twantfavors。Iwanttobetreateddecently，that’sall。

WhenIcamehereIintendeddoingthingstohelpthetown。I

shouldhaveenjoyeddoingit。Itoldsomeofthemso。LookatthemoneyI’vespent。LookatthetaxesI’llpay。Why，theyoughttobegladtohavemehere。Theyoughttowelcomeme。"

"Sotheywouldifyouhadnotbehavedasifyouwerewhatsomeofthemcallyou——’EmperorofNewYork’。Itellyou，Mr。Colton，you’reallwrong。Iknowthepeoplehere。"

"So？Well，fromwhatI’vebeenabletolearnaboutyou，youhaven’tassociatedwithmanyofthem。You’vebeenplayingalittleatthehighandmightyyourself。"

Chickensdocomehometoroost。Myattitudeofindifferenceandcoldnesstowardmyfellowcitizenshadbeenmisinterpreted，asitdeservedtobe。GeorgeTaylorwasrightwhenhesaidIhadmadeamistake。

"Ihavebeenfoolish，"Isaid，hotly，"butnotforthereasonyousuppose。Idon’tconsidermyselfanybetterthanthepeoplehere——

no，noreventheequalofsomeofthem。And，fromwhatIhaveseenofyou，Mr。Colton，Idon’tconsideryouthat，either。"

Eventhisdidnotmakehimangry。HelookedatmeasifIpuzzledhim。

"Say，Paine，"hesaid，"whatintheworldareyoudoingdowninaplacelikethis？"

"Whatdoyoumean？"

"Justthat。Youupsetmycalculations。IthoughtIspottedyouandputyouintheclasswhereyoubelongedwhenyouandIfirstmet。Icanusuallysizeupaman。You’vegotmeguessing。Whatareyoudoingdownhere？You’renoRube。"

IfheintendedthisasacomplimentIwasnotinthemoodtoacceptitassuch。IshouldhavetoldhimthatwhatIwasorwasnotwasnobusinessofhis。Buthewentonwithoutgivingmetheopportunity。

"You’vegotmeguessing，"herepeated。"Youtalklikeaman。Thewayyoulookedoutformydaughterlastnightandtheway，accordingtoherstory，youhandledherandVictortheotherafternoonwasaman’sjob。Whyareyouwastingyourlifedownhere？"

"Mr。Colton，Idon’tconsider——"

"Nevermind。You’reright；that’syouraffair，ofcourse。ButI

hatetoquittillIhavetheanswer，andnobodyaroundhereseemstohavetheanswertoyou。Readytosellmethatlandyet？"

"No。"

"Goingtoselltothepublic—spiritedbunch？Deanandtherest？"

"No。"

"Youmeanthat？Allright——allright。Say，Paine，IadmireyournerveagooddealmorethanIdoyourjudgment。YoumustunderstandthatIamgoingtoclosethatfoolLaneofyourssometimeorother。"

"Yourunderstandingandminedifferonthatpoint。"

"Possibly，butthey’llagreebeforeI’mthrough。IamgoingtoclosethatLane。"

"Ithinknot。"

"I’mgoingtocloseitfortworeasons。First，becauseit’sacondemnednuisanceandoughttobeclosed。Second，becauseImakeitapointtogetwhatIgoafter。Ican’taffordnotto。ItisdoingthatverythingthathasputmewhereIam。"

Therewasnothingtobesaidinanswertoastatementlikethat。I

didnottrytoanswerit。

"Whereyou’reholdingdownajoblikemine，"hecontinued，crossinghiskneesandlookingoutacrossthebay，"youhavetogetwhatyougoafter。I’mdownhereandImeantostayhereaslongasIwantto，butIhaven’tletgoofmyjobbyagooddeal。I’vegotprivatewires——telegraphandtelephone——inmyhouseandIkeepintouchwiththingsintheStreetasmuchasIeverdid。Ifanybodytriestogetaheadoftheoldmanbecausetheythinkhe’sturnedfarmerthey’llfindouttheirmistakeinahurry。"

Thisseemedtobeasoliloquy。Icouldnotseehowitappliedtome。Hewentontalking。

"Soundslikebragging，doesn’tit？"hesaid，readingmythoughtsasifIhadspokenthem。"Itisn’t。I’mjusttryingtoshowyouwhyIcan’taffordnottohavemyownway。IfImissatrick，bigorlittle，somebodyelsewins。WhenIwasyounger，justbuttingintothegame，therewasanotherfellowtryingtogetholdofaleadmineoutWestthatIwasafter。Hebeatmetoitatfirst。HewasabigtoadinthepuddleandIwasalittleone。ButIdidn’tquit。Iwaitedroundthecorner。ByandbyIsawmychance。HewasinaholeandIhadthecovertothehole。BeforeIlethimoutIownedthatmine。Itcostmemorethanitwasworth；Ilostmoneyonit。ButIhadmywayandheandtheresthadfoundoutthatIintendedtohaveit。ThatwasworthalotmorethanIlostinthemine。NowthisLanepropositionisalittlebitofathing；

it’spicayune；IshouldliverightalongifIdidn’tgetit。ButbecauseIwantit，becauseI’vemadeupmymindtohaveit，I’mgoingtohaveit，onewayoranother。See？"

Ishruggedmyshoulders。"Thisseemstomelikewastingtime，Mr。

Colton，"Isaid。

"Thenyourseeingisawayoff。Lookhere，Paine，I’mthroughfiddlingwiththedeal。I’mthroughwiththatundertakerpostmasteroranyothergo—between。Ijustwantedyoutounderstandmyposition；that’swhyI’vetoldyouallthis。Nowwe’lltalkfigures。Imightgoonbidding，andyou’dgoonsayingno，ofcourse。ButIshan’tbid。I’lljustsaythis：Whenyouarereadytosell——andI’llputyouwhereyouwillbesomeday——"

Irose。"Mr。Colton，"Isaid，sharply，"youhadbetternotsayanymore。I’mnotafraidofyou，and——"

"There！there！there！whosaidanythingaboutyourbeingafraid？

Don’tgetmad。I’mnot——notnow。Thisisabusinessmatterbetweenfriendsand——"

"Friends！"

"Sure。Businessfriends。I’mtalkingtoyouasIwouldtoanyotherchapIintendedtobeatinadeal；there’snothingpersonalaboutit。WhenIgetyousoyou’rereadytosellI’llgiveyoufivethousanddollarsforthatstripofland。"

Iactuallystaggered。IsaidwhatLutehadsaidtome。

"You’recrazy！"Icried。"Fivethousanddollarsforthatland！"

"Yes。Oh，Iknowwhatit’sworth。Fivehundredisforthelanditself。Theotherforty—fivehundredispaymentfortheprivilegeofhavingmyownway。Wanttoclosewithmenow？"

Ittookmesometimetoanswer。"No，"isashortandsimpleword，butIfoundittremendouslydifficulttopronounce。YetIdidpronounceit，Iamgladtosay。AfterallthatIhadsaidbeforeI

wouldhavebeenashamedtodoanythingelse。

Hedidnotappearsurprisedatmyrefusal。

"Allright，"hesaid。"I’mnotgoingtocoaxyou。Justrememberthattheofferholdsgoodandwhenyougetreadytoacceptit，singout。Well！"lookingathiswatch，"Imustbegoing。MywifewillthinkI’vefallenintothebay，orbeenmurderedbythehostilenatives。Nervesaremeanthingstohaveinthehouse；youcantakemywordforthat。Good—by，Paine。Thankyouagainforlastnightandtherestofit。Mabelwillthankyouherselfwhensheseesyou，Ipresume。"

HewasonhiswaytothedoorwhenIrecoveredpresenceofmindsufficienttorememberordinarypoliteness。

"Yourdaughter——er——MissColtoniswell？"Istammered。"Noilleffectsfromherwetting——andtheshock？"

"Notabit。She’soneofthekindofgirlstheyturnoutnowadays。

Athleticsandallthat。Hergrandmotherwouldhavediedprobably，aftersuchanupset，butshe’sasrightasIam。Oh……er——

Paine，nexttimeyougoshootingletmeknow。MaybeI’dliketogoalong。Iusedtobeabletohitabarndooroccasionally。"

Hestoppedlongenoughtobitetheendfromacigarandstrolledaway，smoking。Isatdowninthearmchair。"Fivethousanddollars！"……"Carverwon’tdo。"……"IwillhavetheLanesometimeorother"……"Fivethousanddollars！"……"Nexttimeyougoshooting。"……"Friends！"……"Fivethousanddollars！"

Oh，thiswasanightmare！Imustwakeupbeforeitgotanyworse。

CHAPTERX

MotherwastheonlyonetowhomItoldthewholestoryofmyexperienceinthe"tempest"andofColton’scall。SheandIhadalongtalk。ShewasassurprisedtohearofthefivethousanddollarofferasIhadbeen，butthatIhadrefuseditdidnotsurpriseher。Sheseemedtotakemyrefusalasamatterofcourse，whereasIwasmoreandmoredoubtfulofmysanityatthetime。I

knewwellenoughwhattheopinionofotherswouldbeconcerningthatsanityandIwonderedwhetherornottheymightberight。Infact，Iratherresentedhercalmcertainty。

"Mother，"saidI，"youspeakasiftheofferhadbeenfivecentsinsteadoffivethousanddollars。"

"Whatdifferencedoesitmake，Boy？"sheasked。"Ifithadbeenonlyamatterofpriceyouwouldhavesoldforsixhundredandfifty。Thatisagooddealmorethanthelandisworth，isn’tit。"

"Isupposeso。Butfivethousandisasmallfortunetous。Iamnotsurethatwehavetherighttorefuseit。"

"Roscoe，ifyouwerealoneinthismatter——ifIwerenotheretobeconsideredatall——wouldyouhavesoldtheland，nomatterwhatheoffered？"

"Idon’tknow，Mother。Ithink，perhaps，Ishould。"

"Iknowyouwouldnot。AndIknowtheonlyreasonyoufeeltherefusalmaybewrongisbecauseyouarethinkingwhatthemoneymightdoforme。DoyousupposeIwillpermityoutosacrificeaprincipleyouknowisrightsimplythatImayhaveafewmoreluxurieswhichIdon’tneed？"

"Butyoudoneedthem。Why，therearesomanythingsyouneed。"

"No，Idon’tneedone。SolongasIhaveyouIamperfectlyhappy。

Anditwouldnotmakememorehappytoknowthatyouacceptedabribe——thatiswhatitis，abribe——becauseofme。No，Boy，youdidexactlyrightandIamproudofyou。"

"Iamnotparticularlyproudofmyself。"

"Youshouldbe。Can’tyouseehowdifferentlyMr。Coltonregardsyoualready？Hedoesnotcondescendorpatronizenow。"

"Humph！heisgratefulbecauseIhelpedhisdaughteroutofascrape，that’sall。"

"Itismorethanthat。Herespectsyoubecauseyouarewhathecalledyou，aman。Ifancyitisanewexperiencetohimtofindsomeone，downhereatanyrate，towhomhismillionsmakeabsolutelynodifference。"

"Iamgladofit。Itmaydohimgood。"

"Yes，Ithinkitwill。Andwhatyoutoldhimaboutthetownspeoplemaydohimgood，too。Hewillfind，asyouandIhavefound，thattherearenokinder，betterpeopleanywhere。YourememberIwarnedyouagainstmisjudgingtheColtons，Roscoe。They，too，Iamsure，aregoodpeopleatheart，inspiteoftheirwealth。"

"Mother，youaretoocharitableforthisearth——toounworldlyaltogether。"

"Haven’tyouandIreasontobecharitable？There！there！letusforgetthelandandthemoney。Roscoe，IshouldliketomeetthisMissColton。Shemustbeabravegirl。"

"Sheisbraveenough。"

"IsupposepoorMr。Carverisindisgrace。Perhapsitwasnothisfaultaltogether。"

Thiswasatrifletoomuch。IrefusedtobecharitabletoVictor。

Iheardfromhim，orofhim，nextday。ImetCaptainJedDeanatthebank，whereIhadcalledtoseeTaylorandinquireconcerninghowheandNelliegothomefromthefestival。Theyhadhadadamp，thoughsafe，journey，Ilearned，andtheMethodistladieshadclearedseventy—fourdollarsandeighty—fivecentsfromtheentertainment。

CaptainJedenteredthedoorasIleftthecashier’sgate。

"Shipahoy，Ros！"hailedthecaptain，genially。"Makeportsafeandsoundaftertheflood？I’dhaveswappedmyhorseandbuggyforNoah’sArkthatnightandwouldn’thaveaskedanybootneither。

DidyouseeMullet’sbridge？Elnathansayshecal’lateshe’sgotwillowkindlin’enoughtolasthimallsummer。Readysplittoo——

thelightnin’attendedtothat。LuteRogersdon’ttalkaboutnothin’else。Ical’latehewisheslightnin’wouldstrikeyourwoodpile；thenhe’dbesavedconsider’blelabor，hey？"

HelaughedandIlaughedwithhim。

"IunderstoodPrincessColtonwasoutinthewustofit，"wentonCaptainJed。"Didyouhearhowherhorseranaway？"

"Yes，"Ianswered，shortly；"Iheardaboutit。"

"NeverstoppedtillitgothalfwaytoWestBayport。Thecoachmanhangin’ontothereinsandswearin’atthetopofhislungsallthetime。’BijeEllis，wholivesupthatway，saystheroadsmellslikeamatchfactoryevenyet——somuchbrimstoneintheair。Thegirlgothomesomehoworother，theytellme。Ical’lateherfinedudsgottheirnever—get—over。Nelliesaysthehatshewaswearin’

comefromParis，orsomesuchforeignplace。Well，therainfallsonthejustandunjust，soscripturtellsus，andit’strueenough。

Onlytheunjustinthiscasecanaffordnewhatsbetter’nthejust，aconsider’blesight。Denboro’slostapromisin’newcitizen；didyouknowit？"

"Whomdoyoumean？"

"Hadn’tyouheard？ThatyoungCarverfellershookthedust——themud，Imean——ofourroadsoffhisshoesthismornin’。Hewentawayontheuptrain。"

Herewasnews。"Theuptrain？"Irepeated。"Youmeanhehasgoneforgood？"

"Ishouldcallitforgood，forourgood，anyhow。Yes，he’sgone。

WenttothedepotinColton’sautomobile。Hismajestywentwithhimfur’stheplatform。Thegangthatsawtheproceedin’ssaidthegood—byswan’taffectin’。Coltondidn’tshedanytearsandyoungCarverseemedtobeprettydownatthemouth。"

"Butwhatmakesyouthinkhehasgoneforgood？"Iasked。

"Why，AlvinBakerwasthere，sameasheusuallyis，andhemanagedtobenighenoughtohearthelastwords——iftherehadbeenany。"

"Andtherewerenot？"

"Nothin’toamounttomuch。Nothin’aboutcomin’back，anyhow。

Coltonsaidsomethin’aboutbein’rememberedtotheyoungfeller’sma，andCarversaid，’Thanks，’andthatwasall。Alvinsaid’twasprettychilly。They’vegotitallfiggeredoutatthepost—office；

yousee，Carverwastocomebacktothemeetin’houseandpickuphisprincess，andhenevercome。Shestartedwithouthimandgotrunawaywith。Someofthefolkspaddlin’homefromthefestivalsawtheautogobyandheardthecrowdinsidesingin’andlaughin’

andhollerin’。Nobody’sgoin’tosinganightlikethatunlessthey’vegotcargoenoughbelowdeckstomake’emforgetthewetoutside。AndBeriahDoanewasovertoOstableyesterdayandhesaysit’stowntalktherethatyoungParker——theboytheautocrowdwassayin’good—bytoatthehotel——hadtobehelpeduptohisroom。No，IguesslikelytheColtongirlobjectedtoherfeller’sgettin’tightandforgettin’her，soheandshehadarowandherdad，theemperor，givehimhisdischargepapers。Soundsreasonable；

don’tyouthinkso，yourself？"

Iimaginedthatthesurmisewasclosetothetruth。Inoddedandturnedaway。IdidnotlikeCarver，Idetestedhim，butsomehowI

nolongerfelttriumphathisdiscomfiture。Iwonderedifhereallycaredforthegirlhehadlost。Itwasdifficulttothinkofhimasreallycaringforanyoneexcepthimself，butifIhadbeeninhisplaceandhad，throughmyownfoolishness，thrownawaytherespectandfriendshipofsuchagirl……Yes，IwasbeginningtofeelalittleofMother’scharityfortheyoungidiot，nowthathecouldnolongerinsultandpatronizeme。

CaptainJedfollowedmetothebankdoor。

"Say，Ros，"hesaid，"changedyourmindaboutsellin’thatLanelandyet？"

"No，"Ianswered，impatiently。"There’snousetalkingaboutthat，CaptainDean。"

"Allright，allright。Humph！thefellersaregettin’consider’blefunoutofthatLane。"

"Inwhatway？"

Helaughed。"Oh，nothin’，"heobserved，withawink，"only……

Heardanyextryhurrahin’overtoyourplacelately？"

"No。Captain，whatdoyoumean？"

"Idon’tmeannothin’。ButIshouldn’twonderiftheGreatPanjandrumandhisfolkswasremindedthatthatLanewasstillopen，that’sall。Ho！ho！Solong，Ros。"

Ididnotcatchhismeaningatthetime。AfewdayslaterI

discovereditbyaccident。Ihadbeenuptothevillageandwasonmywayhomebytheshortcut。AsIcrossedthefieldbehindSylvanusSnow’sabandonedhouse，thespotwhereMissColtonandI

hadwaitedontheporchthenightofthethundershower，IheardtherattleofacartgoingdowntheLane。Therewasnothingunusualinthis，ofitself，butwithitIheardthesoundofloudvoices。OneofthesevoiceswassoloudthatIcaughtthewords：

"Now，boys，startherup！ThreecheersfortheStarSpangledBannerandmake’emloud。Lethergo！"

Thecheersfollowed，uproariousones。

"Tryitagain，"commandedthevoice。"Andkeepherupallthewayalong。We’llshakeupthe’nerves’Iguess。Hooray！"

Thiswasenough。IunderstoodnowwhatDeanhadmeantbytheColtonsrealizingthattheLanewasstillopen。Iranatfullspeedthroughthescrubandbushes，throughthegrove，andemergedupontheLanedirectlyoppositetheColtonestate。Thewagon——ZebKendrick’sweircart——wasapproaching。ZebwasdrivingandbehindhiminthebodyofthecartwerefourorfiveyoungfellowswhomI

recognizedasbelongingtothe"billiardroomgang，"anunorganizedsocietywhosemembersworkedonlyoccasionallybutwereresponsibleformostofthemischiefanddisorderinourvillage。TimHallet，asortofleaderinthatsociety，withthereputationofhavingbeenexpelledfromschoolthreetimesandneverkeepingajoblongerthanafortnight，wasontheseatbesideKendrick，hisbacktothehorse。Zebwasgrinningbroadly。

Thewagoncamenearer，thehorsebarelymoving。TimHalletwavedhisarm。

"Now，boys，"heshouted，"let’shavesomemusic。"

"’Everybodyworksbutfather，Andhesetsaroundallday。’——

Whoopherup！"

Theywhoopedherup。Isteppedoutintotheroad。

"Here！"Ishouted。"Stopthat！Stopit，doyouhear！Kendrick，whatisallthis？"

Thesongstoppedinthemiddleoftheverse。Zebjerkedthereinsandshouted"Whoa！"Halletandhischorusturned。Theyhadbeengazingatthebighouse，butnowtheyturnedandlookedatme。

"Hello，Ros！"saidKendrick，stillgrinning，butrathersheepishly。

"Howbeyou？Gotquiteabandaboard，ain’tI。"

"Hello！"criedHallet。"It’sRoshimself！Ros，you’reallRIGHT！

Hi，boys！let’sgivethreecheersforthefellerthatdon’ttoadytonobody——millionairesnornobodyelse——hoorayforRosPaine！"

Thecheeringthatfollowedwasnotquiteasloudasthepreviousoutburst——someofthe"gang"mayhavenoticedmyattitudeandexpression——butitwasloudenough。InvoluntarilyIglancedtowardtheColtonmansion。Isawnooneatthewindowsorontheveranda，andIwasthankfulforthat。Thebloodrushedtomyface。Iwassoangrythat，forthemoment，Icouldnotspeak。

TimHalletappearedtoconsidermysilenceandmycrimsoncheeksasacknowledgmentsofthecomplimentjustpaidme。

"Cal’latetheyheardthatoveryonder，"hecrowed。"Don’tyouthinkso，Ros。We’veshowed’emwhatwethinkofyou；nowlet’sgiveouropinionofthem。ThreegroansforoldColton！Comeon！"

EvenZebseemedtoconsiderthisasgoingtoofar，forheprotested。

"Holdon，Tim！"hecautioned。"Ajoke’sajoke，butthat’salittletoomuch；ain’tit，Ros。"

"Toomuchbedarned！"scoffedHallet。"We’llshow’em！Now，boys！"

Thegroanswerenotgiven。Isprangintotheroad，seizedthehorsebythebridleandbackedthewagonintothebank。Tim，insecurelybalanced，fellofftheseatandjoinedhiscomradesonthecartfloor。

"Hi！"shoutedthestartleddriver。"Whatyoudoin’，Ros？What’sthatfor？"

"Yougobackwhereyoucomefrom，"Iordered。"Turnaround。Getoutofhere！"

Isavedhimthetroublebycompletingtheturn。WhenIdroppedthebridlethehorse’sheadwaspointingtowardtheLowerRoad。

"Nowgetoutofhere！"Irepeated。"Gobackwhereyoucomefrom。"

"But——but，Ros，"protestedZeb，"Idon’twanttogoback。I’mgoin’totheshore。"

"Thenyou’llhavetogosomeotherway。Youcan’tcrossmyproperty。"

Hallet，onhisknees，lookedoutovertheseat。

"What’sthematterwithyou？"heasked，angrily。"Didn’tyousaythetowncouldusethisLane？"

"Yes。Anyonemayuseitaslongashebehaveshimself。Whenhedoesn’tbehaveheforfeitstheprivilege。Kendrick，youhearme！

Goback。"

"ButIdon’twanttogoback，Ros。IfIdoI’llhavetogoclearroundbyMyrick’s，twomileoutofmyway。"

"Youshouldhavethoughtofthatbeforeyoubroughtthatcrowdwithyou。Iwon’thavethisLanemadeapublicnuisancebyanyone。

Zeb，I’mashamedofyou。"

Zebturnedtohispassengers。"There！"hewhined，"Itoldyouso，Tim。Isaidyouhadn’toughttoactthatway。"

"Aw，whatareyougivin’us！"sneeredHallet。"Youthought’twasasfunnyasanybody，ZebKendrick。Lookhere，RosPaine！I

thoughtyouwasdownonthemColtons。Wefellersareonlyhavin’alittlefunwith’emforbein’sostuck—upandhoggish。Can’tyoutakeajoke？"

"Notyourkind。Goback，Zeb。"

"But——butcan’tIusetheLaneNOmore？"pleadedthedriver。"I

won’tfetch’emhereagin。"

"We’llseeaboutthat。Youcan’tuseitthistime。Nowgo。"

Zebreluctantlyspoketohishorseandthewagonbegantomove。

Halletsworeastringofoaths。

"I’montoyou，Paine！"heyelled。"You’restandin’inwith’em，afterall。YouwaittillIseeCaptainJed。"

InthreestridesIwasabreastthecart—tail。

"Seehimthen，"saidI。"AndtellhimthatifanyoneusesthisLaneforthepurposeofwilfullyannoyingthoselivingnearitI’llnotonlyforbidhisusingit，butI’llprosecutehimfortrespass。

Imeanthat。Stop！Iadviseyounottosayanotherword。"