I kin. Don' ye wake me up agin Sally," and presently his regular
snoring proclaimed that he had departed to the free hunting grounds of
dreamland in pursuit of his desired game.

Now Meshech's was merely a representative case. He was by no means the
only workingman who that morning kept his bed warm to an unaccustomed
hour. Except such as had farms of their own to work on, or work for
themselves to do, there was scarcely any one in Stockbridge who went
to work. A large part of the labor by which the industries of the
community had been carried on, had been that of debtors working out
their debts at such allowance for wages as their creditor-employers
chose to make them. If they complained that it was too small, they
had, indeed, their choice to go to jail in preference to taking it,
but no third alternative was before them. Of these coolies, as we
should call them in these days, only a few who were either very timid,
or ignorant of the full effect of yesterday's doings, went to their
usual tasks.

Besides the coolies, there was a small number of laborers who
commanded actual wages in produce or in money. Although there was no
reason in yesterday's proceedings, why these should not go to work as
usual, yet the spirit of revolt that was in the air, and the vague
impression of impending changes that were to indefinitely better the
condition of the poor, had so far affected them also, that the most
took this day as a holiday, with a hazy but pleasing notion that it
was the beginning of unlimited holidays.

All this idle element naturally drifted into the streets, and
collected in particular force on the green and about the tavern. By
afternoon, these groups, reenforced by those who had been busy at home