odpile and the shed door by some kind of a deal he's rigged up with
the widder, and with Alcander Reeves advisin' as counsel. And he's
got a stake set in the middle of that piece of ground and on that
stake is a board and on that board is painted: 'Trespassing Forbidden
on Penalty of the Law.' And him and that woman, by Alcander Reeves's
advice, are teaming that old cuss of a husband back and forth acrost
that strip and markin' down a trespass offence every time he lugs
an armful of wood."

The Cap'n blinked his growing amazement.

"And the scheme is," continued Hiram, "to have old law shark of an
Alcander, as trial justice, sentence the livin' skeleton on each
separate trespass offence, fine and imprisonment in default of
payment. Why, they've got enough chalked down against him now to make
up a hundred years' sentence, and he's travellin' back and forth
there as innercent of what they're tryin' to do as is the babe
unborn."

"Can they do any such infernal thing as that in law?" demanded the
Cap'n.

"Blamed if I know. But I never see northin' yet they couldn't do in
law, if they see you comin' and got the bind on you."

"Law!" roared Cap'n Sproul, clacking his hard fist on the table rim.
"Law will tie more knots in a man's business than a whale can tie
in a harpoon-line. There ain't no justice in it--only pickin's and
stealin's. Why, I had a mate once that was downed on T wharf in Bos'n
and robbed, and they caught the men, and the mate couldn't give
witness bonds and they locked him up with 'em, and the men got away
one night and wa'n't ever caught, and the result was the mate served
a jail sentence before they got his bonds matter fixed. It was just
the same as a jail sentence. He had to stay there."

Hiram was fully as doleful in regard to the possibilities of the law.

"Once they get old Soup-bone behind bars on them trespass cases,"
he said, "he'll stay there, all right. They'll fix it somehow--you
needn't worry. I reckon they'll be arrestin' him any minute now.
They've got cases enough marked down."

"We'll see about that," snapped the Cap'n.

He buttoned his jacket and hurried into Hiram's team, which was at
the door. And with Hiram as charioteer they made time toward the
Crymble place. Just out of the village they swept past Constable
Zeburee Nute, whose slower Dobbin respectfully took the side of the
highway.

"Bet ye money to mushmelons," mumbled Hiram as they passed, "he's
got a warrant from old