Hudson was sitting between two constables, and was being inspected by a
large crowd. He looked very quiet, and upon listening to the
affidavits, remarked that Mr. Hyatt must have misunderstood the ladies,
for he was perfectly incapable of having alarmed them to the extent
indicated; that he certainly admired Miss Ida, and desired to marry
her, but that he would not willingly injure or alarm the humblest
creature--adding reproachfully that those affidavits would suffice to
condemn him to State prison for life. He appeared so perfectly
rational and calm, that the magistrate was perfectly dumbfoundered, and
for the moment thought him sane; and even we commenced to reproach
ourselves, and doubt which was the insane party.

"Well," said Mr. Hyatt, "I will now hear your story."

"I will read it to you," said Hudson, drawing a book from his pocket,
and then commenced again the same incoherent nonsense with which he had
already favored mamma. The object now was to show the chain of
evidence that pointed out Ida as his bride. The most important link
was the fact that he had once seen a flock of white geese sailing
through the air. He put up his finger, and one fluttered down to him;
and as G stood both for goose and Greeley, it was a clear manifestation
of the Divine Will (at this point, the audience burst into a roar of
laughter). Besides, he liked our family, we suited him in every
respect; and especially because we so much reminded him of John the
Baptist (we inwardly hoped that the resemblance would not extend to
decapitation). If Miss Greeley would not marry him, he kindly added,
he would take her cousin Marguerite instead, but he must positively
marry one of the family. He was now perfectly wild, and when he
remarked, with a reproachful glance at Ida, that he disliked
_ko-kwettes_, and liked a girl who would say in answer to an offer,