re not sure," came the quick retort.

"No, seh," replied the sturdy Captain, "we're not shore. It rests with
them." He smoked.

"Go on, Shot," said the General, "you were going to give an instance."

"Yes, seh. Take Leggett, in the case o' this so-called University."

"That's hardly a good example," remarked Proudfit, who, for Dixie's and
Susie's sake, regretted that Shotwell was talking so much and he so
little.

"Let him alone," said Halliday, thoroughly pleased, and Shotwell went on
stoutly.

"The concern was started by Leggett an' his gang--excuse my careless
terms, Gen'l--as the public high-school. They made it ve'y odious to ow
people by throwin' it wide open to both raaces instead o' havin' a'
sep'ate one faw whites. So of co'se none but dahkeys went to it, an'
they jest filled it jam up."

"What did the whites do?" asked the Briton.

"Why, what _could_ they do, seh? You know how ow people ah. That's right
where the infernal outrage come in. Such as couldn't affode to go to
Rosemont aw Montrose jest had to stay at home!" The speaker looked at
John, who colored and bit his cigar.

"So as soon as ow crowd got control of affairs we'd a shut the thing up,
on'y faw Jeff-Jack. Some Yankee missiona'y teachers come to him an'
offe'd to make it a college an' spend ten thousand dollahs on it if the
State would on'y go on givin' it hafe o' the three counties' annual
high-school funds."

The Englishman frowned perplexedly and Proudfit put in--

"That is, three thousand a year from our three counties' share of the
scrip on public lands granted Dixie by the Federal Government."

"Expressly for the support of public schools," said General Halliday,
and March listened closer than the foreigner, for these facts were
newest to John.

"Still," said March, "the State furnishes the main support of public
education."

"No," responded Shotwell, "you're wrong there, John; we changed that.
The main suppote o' the schools is left to the counties an' townships."

"That's stupid, all round," promptly spoke the Briton.

"I thought," exclaimed John, resentfully, "we'd changed our State
constitution so's to forbid the levy of any school tax by a county or
township except on special permission of the legislature."

"So you have," laughed the General.

"The devil!" exclaimed the Englishman.

"O, we had to do that," interposed Proudfit again, and Gamble testified,

"You see, it's the property-holder's only protection."