t'other night. Yew jess let Squire git his grip onto this ere taown
agin ez he uster hev it an the constable an the whippin post won't hev
no rest till he's paid orf his grudge agin' every one on us. An ef yew
dunno that, yew dunno Squire Woodbridge."

The silence which followed indicated that the hearers did know the
Squire well enough to appreciate the force of Abner's remarks, and
that the contingencies which they suggested were inducive of serious
reflections. It was Jabez Flint, the Tory, who effected a diversion by
observing dryly,

"Yes, ef Squire gits his grip agin, some on us will git darnation sore
backs, but he's lost it, an he ain't a gonter git it agin ez long ez
we fellers keeps ourn. On'y 'twont dew ter hev no foolin, tain't no
child's play we're at."

"I know one thing dum well" said Obadiah Weeks, "and that is I wouldn'
like tew be in Cap'n Hamlin's shoes ef Squire sh'd git top agin.
Jehosaphat, though, wouldn' he jess go fer the Cap'n. I guess he'd
give him ten lashes ev'ry day fer a month an make him set in the
stocks with pepper 'n salt rubbed in his back 'tween times, an then
hev him hung ter wind up with, an he wouldn' be half sassified then."

"Warn't that the gol-darndest though, baout that Edwards gal agoin tew
ass Perez to git the mewsic stopped? By gosh, I can't git over that,"
exclaimed Peleg, grinning from ear to ear. "I was a lyin awake las'
night and I got ter thinkin bout it, an I begun snickering so's She
waked up, and She says, 'Peleg,' seshee 'what in time be yew a
snickerin at?' and I says I wuz a snickerin tew think o' that air
stuck up leetle gal o' Squire Edwards daown on her knees tew Perez, a