"There's the agent," cried the judge, holding out the appointment to
Jethro.

"Wh-what?" ejaculated Lem.

Jethro took the appointment, and put it in his cowhide wallet.

"Be you the agent?" demanded the amazed stage driver.

"C-callate to be," said Jethro, and without a smile or another word to
any one he walked out into the night, and after various exclamations of
astonishment and admiration, the stage driver followed.

No one, indeed, could have enjoyed this unexpected coup of Jethro's more
than Lem himself, and many times on their drive homeward he burst into
loud and unexpected fits of laughter at the sublime conception of the
Chairman of the Selectmen being himself appointed road agent.

"Will," said he, "don't you tell this to a soul. We'll have some fun out
of some of the boys to-morrow."

The storekeeper promised, but he had an unpleasant presentiment that he
himself might be one of the boys in question.

"How do you suppose Jethro Bass knew you were going to indict the town?"
he asked of the stage driver.

Lem burst into fresh peals of laughter; but this was something which he
did not attempt to answer.