tell of a young man who
went to Vanderbilt to get employment. Vanderbilt finally offered to give
the young man, if he would work for him, just what he got himself. The
young man jumped at that--he'd be perfectly satisfied with that pay.
And Vanderbilt said that all he got was what he could eat and wear, and
offered to give the young man his board and clothes."

"I declare" said the long-bearded man. "That's just it. Did you ever see
Vanderbilt's house? Neither did I, but I heard he had a vault built in
it five feet thick, solid. He put in it two hundred millions of dollars,
in gold. After a year, he opened it and put in twelve millions more,
and called that a poor year. They say his house has gold shutters to the
windows, so I've heard."

"I shouldn't wonder," said the landlord. "I heard he had one door in
his house cost forty thousand dollars. I don't know what it is made of,
unless it's made of gold."

Sunday was a hot and quiet day. The stores were closed and the two
churches also, this not being the Sunday for the itinerant preacher. The
jail also showed no sign of life, and when we asked about it, we learned
that it was empty, and had been for some time. No liquor is sold in the
place, nor within at least three miles of it. It is not much use to try
to run a jail without liquor.

In the course of the morning a couple of stout fellows arrived, leading
between them a young man whom they had arrested,--it didn't appear on
any warrant, but they wanted to get him committed and locked up. The
offense charged was carrying a pistol; the boy had not used it against
anybody, but he had flourished it about and threatened, and the
neighbors wouldn't stand that; they were bound to enforce the law
against carrying concealed weapons.

The captors were perfectly good-natured and on friendly enough terms
with the young man, who offered no resistance, and seemed not unwilling
to go to jail. But a practical difficulty arose. The jail was locked
up, the sheriff had gone away into the country with the key, and no
one could get in. It did not appear that there was any provision for
boarding the man in jail; no one in fact kept it. The sheriff was sent
for, but was not to be found, and the prisoner and his captors loafed
about the square all day, sitting on the fence, rolling on the grass,
all of them sustained by a simple trust that the jail would be open some
time.

Late in the afternoon we left them there, trying to get into t