spoke he hit the doctor, who
sat next him, a hard nudge in his broadcloth side with a sharp elbow.
"Stan' ye any amount ye want to put up that that young bob-squirt
won't give away a damned dollar, if he ever gits it to give," he
said, with a wink of curious confidential scorn.

"I do not bet," replied the doctor, shortly.

"Lord! ye needn't be pertickler, doctor; it's safe 'nough," returned
Simon Basset, with a sly roll of facetious eyes towards the company.

The doctor deigned no further reply.

"I'll stan' any man in this company anything he'll put up," cried
Simon Basset, who was getting aroused to a singular energy.

Nobody responded. Squire Eben Merritt, indeed, opened his mouth to
speak, then turned it off with a laugh. "I'd make the bet, boy," he
whispered to Jerome, "if it were anybody else that proposed it, but
that old--"

Simon Basset stood up; the men looked at him with wonder. His eyes
glowed with strange fire. The lawyer eyed him keenly. "I should think
from his face that the man was defending himself in the dock," he
whispered to Colonel Lamson.

"I'll tell ye what I'll do, then," shouted Simon Basset, "if ye won't
none of ye take me up. I'll be damned if I believe that any rich man
on the face of this earth is capable of givin' away every dollar he's
got, for the fear of the Lord or the love of his fellow-men. I'll be
damned if I believe, if the Lord Almighty spoke to him from on high,
and told him to, he'd do it, an' I'm goin' to prove that I don't
believe it. I'll tell ye all what I'll do. Lawyer Means is here, an'
he can take it down in black an' white, if he wants to, an' I'll sign
it reg'lar an' have it witnessed. If that young man there," he
pointed at Jerome, "ever comes into any property, an' gives away
every dollar of it, I'll give away one quarter of all I've got in the
world to the poor of this town, an' I'll take my oath on it.

"But there's more than that," continued Simon Basset. "I'll get a
condition before I do it. I call on my fellow-townsman here--I won't
say my fellow-Christian, 'cause he wouldn't think that much of a
compliment--to do the same thing. If he'll do it, I will; if he
won't, I won't." Simon Basset looked down at Doctor Prescott with
malicious triumph. Everybody stared at the two men.

"Why don't ye speak up, doctor--hey?" asked Simon Basset, finally.

"Because I do not consider such an outrageous proposition worthy of
consideration, Mr. Basset," returned the