what he owes, instead o' lettin the sheriff sell it fer nothin and
sendin a feller tew jail fer the balince. Wen I giv Squire Edwards
that air leetle morgidge on my farm, money wuz plenty, an I callated
tew pay it up easy; an naow thar ain't no money, an I can't git none,
if I died for't. It's jess zif I 'greed tew sell a load o' ice in
January, an a thaw come an thar wan't no ice leff. Property's wuth's
much 'z ever I callate, an't orter be good fer debts instead o' money,
'cordin to a far valiation."

"Mr. Goodrich, how did you go to work to stop the King's courts in
'74? Did you hang the justices?" inquired Paul Hubbard, arousing from
a fit of contemplation.

"Nary bit," replied Isaiah, "there warn't no need o' hangin nobody.
'Twas a fine mornin in May, I rekullec jess zif 'twas yes'day, wen the
court was a goin tew open daown tew Barrington, an abaout a thousan
men on us jess went daown an filled up the court haouse, an woudn' let
the jedges in, an wen they see 'twan't no use, they jess give in
quiet's lambs, an we made em sign their names tew a paper agreein not
tew hold no more courts, an the job wuz done. Ye see the war wuzn't
farly begun an none o' the King's courts in th' uther caounties wuz
stopped, but we callated the court mout make trouble for some o' the
Sons o' Liberty, in the caounty if we let it set."

"I callate 't ain't nothin very hard tew stop a court, 'cordin tew
that," said Peleg Bidwell.

"No, 'tain't hard, not ef the people is gen'ally agin' the settin on
it," said Isaiah.