ed--thought he
had to--and went off tramping to Kansas City, and after he'd tramped a
week there, looking for a job, give it up and jumped into the river. And
you know how old man Osgood killed himself, honest a old man as ever
lived; always kept his machines under cover, too; _he_ couldn't stand
it. They found it harder--and lots more, too; but I've found it hard
enough. And I know I'd shoot that sneaking, sneering young Shylock, and
not mind it near so much as I minded killing poor Sport."

"I don't know but we'd all better quit," said the younger man with a
sigh. "This isn't a living country. Three years of drought would break
any country up. It's not meant to live in. We had a fair crop this year,
but it's so low; and freights, though they're lower, are pretty high. I
don't see any way out of it. And I declare I think if we run this young
fellow off we'll only get a bad name for the place."

"I don't care for bad names," said the other sullenly. "I got a wife and
three children; I was foreclosed a year ago--so's you, so's a lot of the
boys; we're at the end of our string now--legally. So what did we say?
We said we didn't care, was it legal or illegal; that laws was made to
skin the poor man; and we elected a sheriff we could depend on not to
enforce the laws, and we druv off the bloodsuckers they sent out here.
They say one feller was killed. I don't know. Guess that's one of Doc
Russell's stories. The boys talk a lot about the cause of all this here
trouble, and how we're going to have a revolution, and how referendum
and initiendum will help, and how free silver will help--I guess,
myself, a little more rain three years ago when corn was up would have
helped more'n anything--and they talk how they're fighting the battles
of the poor man, and the Eastern bloodsuckers has ruined us, and the
Shylocks are devouring us, and they holler the roof off. I listen to
'em, but I don't believe 'em any more than you do."

"But," interrupted the other man eagerly, "I voted with the people's
party--"

"Of course you did. We was going to be unanimous, and you dass'n't stand
out; but you didn't believe in it. Me neither. I ain't makin' any
pretense, but I'll tell you it's jest here--I'm down to bed-rock. If I
let my farm be took away and my stock, what's going to become of my wife
and children? You can call it stealing, or resisting the law, or
anything you please, but I'll kill that feller before I'll let him turn
me out."