d be willing
to recognize the law as young Bostic administered it. But we won't
talk about that, and I ought not to have mentioned it. Is Mr. Warren
out there? I want to see him a moment."

He shook hands with Lyman and they parted friends. Shortly after
Sawyer went out, Warren came running into the room. "Old Billy Fate is
trying himself," he cried. "What do you think has happened? That
fellow Sawyer has subscribed for fifty copies of the paper, for one
year, and has paid for them in advance. He has put down uncles, aunts,
cousins--but there's one thing about it I don't like. That fellow
Jerry, Nancy's cousin, is a sort of tenth rate cousin to Sawyer, and
he has put him down. Jerry Dabbs. Think of that poor girl becoming
Nancy Dabbs. There ought to be a law against such outrages. And now
he'll read your stuff and commit the odd phrases to memory and give
them to her. I don't see how I can keep away from there for a week.
I'm going out there Friday. Well, after all, I guess it was better
that you didn't drown that fellow. Fifty subscribers are not picked up
every day. I don't know but sometimes it pays to let revenge go."

"It pays the heart," Lyman replied. "Did you ever think that when the
heart was paid the whole world is out of debt?"

"I never thought of it, but I guess you are right. I met the express
agent this morning and he tipped his hat to me. And it's all owing to
you. Everybody is talking about you. Where are you going?" he asked as
Lyman got up.

"One day, while walking about aimlessly," said Lyman, "I stopped in
front of a house down the street not far from here, and saw a boy
digging in the yard. At the window I saw the pale face of a man. He
lay there to catch the last rays of the world, slowly fanning himself.
I asked the boy what he was doing and he said that he was digging a
grave for his father. The pale face at the window haunted me. I made
inquiry and found that a very poor family inhabited the house, and I
have called there several times to talk with the man. I am going there
now."

"I know, he's a fellow named Hillit. He's got consumption. I send him
the paper free. Give him my regards, please, and tell him that I have
put him down as a life subscriber."

"It won't be for long," said Lyman, as he turned away.

The sun had baked the ground and the strange child had suspended his
labor, but heaps of earth beneath the bushes showed that he had
continued his work as long as his rude spade w