"I hearn as two hundred on em be from Stockbridge an the iron-works,"
added Israel. "I declare for't Zadkiel 'll hev plenty o' kumpny daown
tew jail, by the time them suits be all tried."

"By gosh, what be we a comin tew?" groaned Abner. "It doos seem zif we
all on us mout z'well move daown tew the jail to onc't, an hev done
with 't. We're baown to come to 't fuss or las'."

Presently Peleg Bidwell said, "My sister Keziah's son, by her fuss
husban's been daown tew Bosting, an I hearn say ez haow he says ez the
folks daown East mos'ly all hez furniter from Lunnon, and the women
wears them air Leghorn hats as cos ten shillin lawful, let alone
prunelly shoes an satin stockins, an he says as there ain't a ship
goes out o' Bosting harbor ez don' take more'n five thousan paound o'
lawful money outer the kentry. I callate," pursued Peleg, "that's jess
what's tew the bottom o' the trouble. It's all long o' the rich folks
a sendin money out o' the kentry to git theirselves fine duds, an
that's wy we don' git more'n tuppence a paound fer our mutton, an nex'
ter nothin fer wheat, an don't have nothin to pay taxes with nor to
settle with Squire Edwards, daown ter the store. That's the leak in
the bar'l, an times won't git no better till that's plugged naow, I
tell yew."

"If't comes to pluggin leaks ye kin look nigher hum nor Bosting,"
observed Abner. "I hearn ez Squire Woodbridge giv fifty pound lawful
fer that sorter tune box ez he'z get fer his gal, an they doos say ez
them cheers o' Squire Sedgwick's cos twenty pound lawful in the old
kentry."