the war wuz over they stopped a printin bills and immejetly the hard
times come. Hain't that so?"

"I dunno but yew be right," said Abner, thoughtfully, "I never thort
on't ezzackly that way," and Isaiah Goodrich also expressed the
opinion that there was "somethin into what Ezry says."

"What we wants," pursued Ezra, "what we wants, is a kine o' bills
printed as shall lose vally by reglar rule, jess so much a month, no
more no less, cordin ez its fixed by law an printed on tew the bills
so'z everybody'll understan an no-body'll git cheated. I hearn that's
the idee as the Hampshire folks went fer in the convenshun daown tew
Hatfield this week. Ye see, ez I wuz a sayin, bills is baoun tew come
daown anyhow ony if they comes daown regler, cordin tew law,
everybody'll know what t'expect, and nobody won' lose nothin."

"Praps the convenshun what's a sittin up tew Lenox'll rekummen them
bills," hopefully suggested a farmer who had been taking in Ezra's
wisdom with open mouth.

"I don' s'pose that it'll make any odds how many bills are printed as
far's we're concerned," said Hubbard, bitterly. "The lawyers'll make
out to git em all pretty soon. Ye might's well try to fat a hog with a
tape worm in him, as to make folks rich as long as there are any
lawyers round."

"Yas, an jestices' fees, an sheriff fees is baout ez bad ez lawyer's,"
said Israel Goodrich, whose countenance was beginning to glow from the
influence of his potations. "I tell you wesh'd be a dern sight better
off 'f'all the courts wuz stopped. Most on ye is young fellers, 'cept