you Elnathan Hamlin, thar. He'll tell ye, ez I tell ye, that this air
caounty never seen sech good times, spite on'ts bein war times, ez
long fur '74 to '80, arter we'd stopped the King's courts from sittin
an afore we'd voted for the new constitution o' the state, ez we wuz
durn fools fer doin of, ef I dew say it. In them six year thar warn't
nary court sot nowhere in the caounty, from Boston Corner tew ole Fort
Massachusetts, an o' course thar warn't no lawyers an no sheriffs ner
no depity sheriffs nuther, tew make every debt twice as big with ther
darnation fees. They warn't no sheriffs sales, nuther, a sellin of a
feller outer house'n hum an winter comin on, an thar warn't no suein
an no jailin of fellers fer debt. Folks wuz keerful who they trusted,
ez they'd orter be allers, for ther warn't no klectin o' debts nohow,
an ef that warn't allers jestice I reckin 'twas as nigh jestice as
'tis to klect bills swelled more'n double by lawyers' and sheriffs'
and jestices' fees ez they doos naow. In them days ef any feller wuz
put upon by another he'd jess got tew complain tew the slectmen or the
committee, an they'd right him. I tell yew rich folks an poor folks
lived together kinder neighborly in them times an 'cordin tew
scripter. The rich folks warn't a grindin the face o' the poor, an the
poor they wuzn't a hatin an a envyin o' the rich, nigh untew blood, ez
they is naow, ef I dew say it. Yew rekullec them days, Elnathan,
warn't it jess ez I say?"

"Them wuz good times, Israel. Ye ain't sayin nothin more'n wuz trew,"
said Elnathan in a feeble treble, from his seat on the settle.

"I tell you they wuz good," reiterated Israel, as he looked around
upon the group with scintillating eyes, and proceeded to hand his mug
over the bar to be refilled.