If he made a counter charge he realized that he
would have to go to the police station to make the complaint. This
would keep him in the city until after midnight.

"Well?" continued the policeman.

Still Brown paused, rapidly taking account of stock. If he did
not deny the charge in terms he would be locked up, which was just
as bad. But the bull-jawed chap spoke first.

"I want this man arrested!" he insisted. "He deliberately attacked
me!"

"I did no such thing!" shouted Brown. "He came at me without
provocation and knocked me down."

"It took you long enough to say so," commented the officer. "I'll
have to take you along to the house. Come on, both of you."

Grasping Brown by the arm, he marched him down the street. Suddenly
the unfortunate manager began to pour forth a long explanation,
quite incoherent so far as the policeman was concerned. He was
the victim of a frame-up--it was a job to get him arrested. The
officer remarked unsympathetically that he had heard that sort of
thing many times before. Gottlieb and I skulked in the rear. When
the police station was at last reached the thick-set man made a
charge of assault against the manager and Brown was compelled
perforce to make a similar charge against his adversary. Then both
were locked up to await a hearing the next morning in the magistrate's
court, when, after a prolonged examination, Brown was discharged
with an admonition against a too free indulgence in alcoholic
liquors.

"Don't be hard on him, judge," said the bull-jawed man. "I had no
trouble in defending myself. I think he has had lesson enough."

Much the worse for wear, Mr. Brown passed out of the court-room,
only to be confronted on the sidewalk by a marshal with a warrant
for his arrest. It was Monday morning. His period of immunity
was over. His eye caught Gottlieb and myself standing on the
corner.

"Well, boys," he exclaimed ruefully, "I'm caught. How much is it
going to cost?"

"Fifteen thousand dollars," answered Gottlieb, adding, after a
moment's pause--"and disbursements."

I need hardly add that Mr. Brown lost no time in raising the
necessary ransom and within the hour had paid his judgment in full
and secured his discharge. The days are long since over, however,
when judgment defaulters had anything to fear; and now a beneficent
bankruptcy law, merely for the asking, washes all their debts away.
But the power to secure another's arrest is even more ea