wouldn't have that old skunk goin' around sayin' I took advantage
of my position to rob him of his son for anything on earth. I
despise him too much to give him that much satisfaction. And yet
there I am, and the case'll come up afore me. What'll I do, Jed?
Shall I resign? Help me out. I'm about crazy. Shall I heave up
the job? Shall I quit?"

Jed put down the brush and the sailor man. He rubbed his chin.

"No-o," he drawled, after a moment.

"Oh, I shan't, eh? Why not?"

"'Cause you don't know how, Sam. It always seemed to me that it
took a lot of practice to be a quitter. You never practiced."

"Thanks. All right, then, I'm to hang on, I suppose, and take my
medicine. If that's all the advice you've got to give me, I might
as well have stayed at home. But I tell you this, Jed Winslow: If
I'd realized--if I'd thought about the Leander Babbitt case comin'
up afore me on that Board I never would have accepted the
appointment. When you and I were talkin' here the other night it's
queer that neither of us thought of it. . . . Eh? What are you
lookin at me like that for? You don't mean to tell me that YOU DID
think of it? Did you?"

Winslow nodded.

"Yes," he said. "I thought of it."