o
trotting horses the buggy was merely a plaything. He drew up at a
wagon-maker's shop, the end of his journey, and threw the lines to a
negro who came forward to meet him.

"You needn't feed them," he said. "Take the harness off and let them
run about the lot. They've been shut up till they're frisky."

A large man, in his shirt sleeves, and with collar unbuttoned, met him
at the door.

"Helloa, Mr. Zeb."

"Helloa, Steve, where's Bob?"

"Come in. He's about, somewhere."

Sawyer entered and sat down on a large block of wood, his feet half
hidden in a pile of chips. A hand-saw, hanging on the wall, caught a
shaft of light from the sun, and threw it into his eyes. He turned
slightly and spoke to the wagon-maker.

"How's business with you?"

"Bad enough. People can buy wagons a good deal cheaper than I can
afford to make 'em. They tell me that up north a man can go into a
place and they'll make him a wagon while he waits, ironed and all
ready for the road, and for a third less than I can do it. I can't
buck against anything like that. I've got to get my timber out of the
woods and season it, and take care of it like it was a lame leg, and
all that sort of thing, to say nothin' of the work after I get down to
it. Just before the election," said the wagon-maker, sitting down upon
an unfinished hub, taking up an oak splinter and putting one end of it
into his mouth, "a man come around here and 'lowed, he did, that if we
could get a majority of farmers into the legislature, the condition of
affairs would be changed. He 'lowed that they'd make it a point to put
a tax on wagons not made in the state. Well, they got in, and about
all they did was to fight the railroads, tear the digest to pieces and
tinker with the marriage law, as some of you folks in Old Ebenezer
have good cause to know. Why, if you read the papers at the time, you
recollect that one old feller from Blaxon county said that marriage
license was an outrage--'lowed, he did, that there wa'n't no license
writ out for Adam. Yes, and he said that down in his neighborhood
several young fellers held off from marryin' because they couldn't
afford to pay for the license. He said it was a sin and a shame to put
a tax on a man that was tryin' to do somethin' for his country."

"Do you think Bob will be back pretty soon?" Sawyer asked, working his
feet deep down among the chips.

"Yes, he ought to be here now. If he don't come pretty soon I'll send
the nigger t