"The fellers all on em says, ez haow ye'll hev tew be cap'n o' this
ere kumpny. Thar's no use o' shilly-shallyin the business, we've got
tew hev somebody ez kin speak up tew the silk stockins. Hain't that
so, Paul?"

Hubbard nodded, but did not speak. It was gall and wormwood to his
jealous and ambitious spirit, to concede the leadership to another,
but his good sense forced him to recognize the necessity of so doing
in the present case.

"Abner," replied Perez, "you know I only want to get Reub out. That's
why I interfered when the plan looked like falling through. I don't
want to be captain, man, I'd no notion of that."

"Nuther had I," said Abner, "till ye tackled the Squire, an then I see
quick ez a flash that ye'd got ter be, an so'd all the other fellers.
We sh'd a kerflummuxed sure's taxes, ef ye hadn't done jess what ye
did. An naow, ye've got tew be cap'n, whether or no."

"Well," said Perez, "If I can do anything for you, I will. We're all
in the same boat, I suppose. But if I'm captain, you two must be
lieutenants."

"Yes, we're a gonter be," replied Abner. "Ye kin depend on us in a
scrimmage, but ye muss sass the silk stockins."

Meanwhile the men, as they marched along the road in some semblance of
military order, were eagerly discussing the recent passage between the
dreaded Squire and their new champion. Their feeling about Perez