yonder? Why, you don't need to make an OUNCE o' glue; your sign's
fixed ME without your doing another lick! THAT'S all you had to do; just
put your sign up! You needn't to----"

"Just let me tell you something, Virgil Adams," the old man interrupted,
harshly. "I got just one right important thing to tell you before we
talk any further business; and that's this: there's some few men in this
town made their money in off-colour ways, but there aren't many; and
those there are have had to be a darn sight slicker than you know how to
be, or ever WILL know how to be! Yes, sir, and they none of them had the
little gumption to try to make it out of a man that had the spirit not
to let 'em, and the STRENGTH not to let 'em! I know what you thought.
'Here,' you said to yourself, 'here's this ole fool J. A. Lamb; he's
kind of worn out and in his second childhood like; I can put it over on
him, without his ever----'"

"I did not!" Adams shouted. "A great deal YOU know about my feelings
and all what I said to myself! There's one thing I want to tell YOU,
and that's what I'm saying to myself NOW, and what my feelings are this
MINUTE!"

He struck the table a great blow with his thin fist, and shook the
damaged knuckles in the air. "I just want to tell you, whatever I did
feel, I don't feel MEAN any more; not to-day, I don't. There's a meaner
man in this world than _I_ am, Mr. Lamb!"

"Oh, so you feel better about yourself to-day, do you, Virgil?"

"You bet I do! You worked till you got me where you want me; and
I wouldn't do that to another man, no matter what he did to me! I
wouldn't----"

"What you talkin' about! How've I 'got you where I want you?'"

"Ain't it plain enough?" Adams cried. "You even got me where I can't
raise the money to pay back what my boy owes you! Do you suppose
anybody's fool enough to let me have a cent on this business after one
look at what you got over there across the road?"

"No, I don't."

"No, you don't," Adams echoed, hoarsely. "What's more, you knew my house
was mortgaged, and my----"

"I did not," Lamb interrupted, angrily. "What do _I_ care about your
house?"

"What's the use your talking like that?" Adams cried. "You got me where
I can't even raise the money to pay what my boy owes the company, so't
I can't show any reason to stop the prosecution and keep him out the
penitentiary. That's where you worked till you got ME!"

"What!" Lamb shouted. "You accuse me of----"

"'Accuse you?