on the man in the chair
that he trembled through all his frail length.

"I wisht I could have stayed dead," whimpered Mr. Crymble, thoroughly
spirit-broken.

"It might have been better all around," agreed the Cap'n, cheerfully.
"But I ain't no undertaker. I'm a town official, sworn to see that
paupers ain't poked off onto the taxpayers. And if you want to keep
out of some pretty serious legal trouble, Mis' Crymble, you'll mind
your p's and q's--and you know what I mean!"

Feeling a little ignorant of just what the law was in the case, Cap'n
Sproul chose to make his directions vague and his facial expression
unmistakable, and he backed out, bending impartial and baleful stare
on the miserable couple.

When he got back to the town office he pen-printed a sign, "Keep Out,"
tacked it upon the outer door, set the end of his long table against
the door for a barricade, and fell to undisturbed work on the figures.
And having made such progress during the day that his mind was free
for other matters in the evening, he trudged over to Neighbor Hiram
Look's to smoke with the ex-showman and detail to that wondering
listener the astonishing death-claims of the returned Mr. Crymble.

"Grampy Long-legs, there, may think he's dead and may say he's dead,"
remarked Hiram, grimly, "but it looks to me as though Bat Reeves was
the dead one in this case. He's lost the widder."

Cap'n Sproul turned luminous gaze of full appreciation on his friend.

"Hiram," he said, "we've broke up a good many courtships for Reeves,
you and me have, but, speakin' frankly, I'd have liked to see him
get that Crymble woman. If she ain't blood kin to the general manager
of Tophet, then I'm all off in pedigree, I don't blame Crymble for
dyin' three times to make sure that she was a widder. If it wasn't
for administerin' town business right I'd have got him a spider-web
and let him sail away on it. As it is, I reckon I've scared him about
twenty-four hours' worth. He'll stick there in torment for near that
time. But about noon to-morrow he'll get away unless I scare him again
or ball-and-chain him with a thread and a buckshot."

"I'm interested in freaks," said Hiram, "and I'll take this case off
your hands and see that the livin' skeleton don't get away until we
decide to bury him or put him in a show where he can earn an honest
livin'. Skeletons ain't what they used to be for a drawin'-card, but
I know of two or three punkin circuiters that might take