ble Bim could get a divorce," said Abe, looking down
thoughtfully at the mane of his horse. "I'll ask Stuart what he thinks
about it when I see him again."

"I hope you'll see him soon."

"As soon as I can get to Springfield."

Brimstead and Abe had a talk together, while Harry went into the house.

"Say, there's a good many kinds o' trouble," said the former, in a low
tone, "but one o' the worst is skunks. Say, I'll tell ye, there's a
feller lives over in the woods a few miles from here that had a skunk in
a pen. His name is Hinge. Somebody had been stealin' his grain, so the
other night he hitched that skunk right under the barn door. The thief
came and the skunk punished him tolerable severe. The next day Free
Collar, the famous Constable, was comin' up the road from Sangamon County
and met that man Biggs on a horse. Say--"

Brimstead looked about him and stepped close to Abe and added in a tone
of extreme confidence: "Biggs had left a streak behind him a mile long.
Its home was Biggs. It had settled down and gone into business on him and
was doin' well and gettin' a reputation. Collar coughed and backed away.
For four days he had been chasin' that man to arrest him. Biggs had been
hid in the woods near Hinge's cabin an' had stole grain for his horses.

"'Here I am,' said Biggs. 'You can have me. I'm lonesome.'

"'You'll be lonesomer 'fore I go near ye,' says Collar.

"'I thought you wanted to arrest me,' says Biggs.

"'Say, man, I'd 'a' been glad to see you go to prison for a year or two,
but now I'm plum sorry for ye,' says Collar. 'A constable who wouldn't
run if he smelt you comin' would be a durn fool.'

"They started in opposite directions. In half a minute the Constable
hollered to Biggs:

"'Say, they've got a railroad train on a track over in Ohio, but they
can't make it run. I wouldn't wonder if you could help 'em.'"

Brimstead added in a half whisper:

"Biggs went on, but the poor devil is livin' a God lonesome life. He
can't sleep in a buildin' an' his food'll have to be throwed to him. It's
a new way to defeat justice."

Abe's laughter was like the neigh of a horse. It brought Harry out of the
house. He mounted his pony and, as they rode away, Abe told him of the
fate of Biggs.

"I don't believe he'll take another Illinois girl away with him," Abe
laughed.

"Talk about the chains of bondage! He's buried in 'em," Harry exclaimed.

In a moment he said: "That lovely girl gave me a necktie