Iwastiredofbeingcatechized。Ihadnotmeanttotellhimanything。NowIdecidedtotellhimall。Ifitangeredhim，somuchthebetter。
\"IsenthimwordthatwhatIsavedwasn’tworththemoney。\"
Tomyamazementhewasnotangry。Insteadheslappedhiskneeandlaughedaloud。
\"Ho！ho！\"heshouted。\"Humph！Well，thatwas……I’dliketohaveseenhisfacewhenhegotthatmessage。No，thatyoungmanwon’tdo。Hewon’tdoatall。\"
Itwasnotformetodisputethisconclusion，evenifIhaddisagreedwithhim，whichIdidnot。Isaidnothing。Herubbedhiskneeforamomentandthenchangedthesubject。
\"HowdidyouhappentobeontheLowerRoadatthattimeofthenight？\"heasked。\"I’mmightygladyouwerethere，ofcourse，butwheredidyoucomefrom？\"
\"Ileftthefestivalratherlateand——\"
\"Festival？Oh，thatthingupatthechurch。Ididn’tseeyouthere。\"
Ihadtakenpainsthatheshouldnotseeme。
\"Doyoumeantotellme，\"hecontinued，\"thatyouenjoyathinglikethat？WhatinblazesmadeMabelwanttogoIdon’tsee！SheandCarverweresetongoing；anditwouldbethetreatofalifetime，orwordstothateffect。Ican’tseeitmyself。OfallthewoodenheadedjaysIeverlaideyesonthistownholdsthefinestcollection。Narrowandstubbornandblindtotheirowninterests！\"
ThiswasmorelikewhatIexpectedfromhimandIresentedit。ItmayseemoddthatI，ofallpersons，shouldhavetakenuponmyselfthedefenseofDenboroanditsinhabitants，butthatiswhatIdid。
\"Theyarenomorenarrowandstubbornintheirwaythancitypeopleareintheirs，\"Ideclared。\"Theyresentbeingorderedaboutasiftheiropinionsandwishescountedfornothing，andIhonorthemforit。\"
\"Do，hey？\"
\"Yes，Ido。Mr。Colton，Itellyouthatyouareallwrong。Simplybecauseamanlivesinthecountryitdoesnotfollowthatheisablockhead。NooneinDenboroisrich，asyouwouldcountriches，butplentyofthemareindependentandasknohelpfromanyone。
Youcan’tdrivethem。\"
\"Can’tI？\"
\"No，youcan’t。Andifyouwantfavorsfrommenhereyoumustaskforthem，nottrytobully。\"
\"Idon’twantfavors。Iwanttobetreateddecently，that’sall。
WhenIcamehereIintendeddoingthingstohelpthetown。I
shouldhaveenjoyeddoingit。Itoldsomeofthemso。LookatthemoneyI’vespent。LookatthetaxesI’llpay。Why，theyoughttobegladtohavemehere。Theyoughttowelcomeme。\"
\"Sotheywouldifyouhadnotbehavedasifyouwerewhatsomeofthemcallyou——’EmperorofNewYork’。Itellyou，Mr。Colton，you’reallwrong。Iknowthepeoplehere。\"
\"So？Well，fromwhatI’vebeenabletolearnaboutyou，youhaven’tassociatedwithmanyofthem。You’vebeenplayingalittleatthehighandmightyyourself。\"
Chickensdocomehometoroost。Myattitudeofindifferenceandcoldnesstowardmyfellowcitizenshadbeenmisinterpreted，asitdeservedtobe。GeorgeTaylorwasrightwhenhesaidIhadmadeamistake。
\"Ihavebeenfoolish，\"Isaid，hotly，\"butnotforthereasonyousuppose。Idon’tconsidermyselfanybetterthanthepeoplehere——
no，noreventheequalofsomeofthem。And，fromwhatIhaveseenofyou，Mr。Colton，Idon’tconsideryouthat，either。\"
Eventhisdidnotmakehimangry。HelookedatmeasifIpuzzledhim。
\"Say，Paine，\"hesaid，\"whatintheworldareyoudoingdowninaplacelikethis？\"
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"
\"Justthat。Youupsetmycalculations。IthoughtIspottedyouandputyouintheclasswhereyoubelongedwhenyouandIfirstmet。Icanusuallysizeupaman。You’vegotmeguessing。Whatareyoudoingdownhere？You’renoRube。\"
IfheintendedthisasacomplimentIwasnotinthemoodtoacceptitassuch。IshouldhavetoldhimthatwhatIwasorwasnotwasnobusinessofhis。Buthewentonwithoutgivingmetheopportunity。
\"You’vegotmeguessing，\"herepeated。\"Youtalklikeaman。Thewayyoulookedoutformydaughterlastnightandtheway，accordingtoherstory，youhandledherandVictortheotherafternoonwasaman’sjob。Whyareyouwastingyourlifedownhere？\"
\"Mr。Colton，Idon’tconsider——\"
\"Nevermind。You’reright；that’syouraffair，ofcourse。ButI
hatetoquittillIhavetheanswer，andnobodyaroundhereseemstohavetheanswertoyou。Readytosellmethatlandyet？\"
\"No。\"
\"Goingtoselltothepublic—spiritedbunch？Deanandtherest？\"
\"No。\"
\"Youmeanthat？Allright——allright。Say，Paine，IadmireyournerveagooddealmorethanIdoyourjudgment。YoumustunderstandthatIamgoingtoclosethatfoolLaneofyourssometimeorother。\"
\"Yourunderstandingandminedifferonthatpoint。\"
\"Possibly，butthey’llagreebeforeI’mthrough。IamgoingtoclosethatLane。\"
\"Ithinknot。\"
\"I’mgoingtocloseitfortworeasons。First，becauseit’sacondemnednuisanceandoughttobeclosed。Second，becauseImakeitapointtogetwhatIgoafter。Ican’taffordnotto。ItisdoingthatverythingthathasputmewhereIam。\"
Therewasnothingtobesaidinanswertoastatementlikethat。I
didnottrytoanswerit。
\"Whereyou’reholdingdownajoblikemine，\"hecontinued，crossinghiskneesandlookingoutacrossthebay，\"youhavetogetwhatyougoafter。I’mdownhereandImeantostayhereaslongasIwantto，butIhaven’tletgoofmyjobbyagooddeal。I’vegotprivatewires——telegraphandtelephone——inmyhouseandIkeepintouchwiththingsintheStreetasmuchasIeverdid。Ifanybodytriestogetaheadoftheoldmanbecausetheythinkhe’sturnedfarmerthey’llfindouttheirmistakeinahurry。\"
Thisseemedtobeasoliloquy。Icouldnotseehowitappliedtome。Hewentontalking。
\"Soundslikebragging，doesn’tit？\"hesaid，readingmythoughtsasifIhadspokenthem。\"Itisn’t。I’mjusttryingtoshowyouwhyIcan’taffordnottohavemyownway。IfImissatrick，bigorlittle，somebodyelsewins。WhenIwasyounger，justbuttingintothegame，therewasanotherfellowtryingtogetholdofaleadmineoutWestthatIwasafter。Hebeatmetoitatfirst。HewasabigtoadinthepuddleandIwasalittleone。ButIdidn’tquit。Iwaitedroundthecorner。ByandbyIsawmychance。HewasinaholeandIhadthecovertothehole。BeforeIlethimoutIownedthatmine。Itcostmemorethanitwasworth；Ilostmoneyonit。ButIhadmywayandheandtheresthadfoundoutthatIintendedtohaveit。ThatwasworthalotmorethanIlostinthemine。NowthisLanepropositionisalittlebitofathing；
it’spicayune；IshouldliverightalongifIdidn’tgetit。ButbecauseIwantit，becauseI’vemadeupmymindtohaveit，I’mgoingtohaveit，onewayoranother。See？\"
Ishruggedmyshoulders。\"Thisseemstomelikewastingtime，Mr。
Colton，\"Isaid。
\"Thenyourseeingisawayoff。Lookhere，Paine，I’mthroughfiddlingwiththedeal。I’mthroughwiththatundertakerpostmasteroranyothergo—between。Ijustwantedyoutounderstandmyposition；that’swhyI’vetoldyouallthis。Nowwe’lltalkfigures。Imightgoonbidding，andyou’dgoonsayingno，ofcourse。ButIshan’tbid。I’lljustsaythis：Whenyouarereadytosell——andI’llputyouwhereyouwillbesomeday——\"
Irose。\"Mr。Colton，\"Isaid，sharply，\"youhadbetternotsayanymore。I’mnotafraidofyou，and——\"
\"There！there！there！whosaidanythingaboutyourbeingafraid？
Don’tgetmad。I’mnot——notnow。Thisisabusinessmatterbetweenfriendsand——\"
\"Friends！\"
\"Sure。Businessfriends。I’mtalkingtoyouasIwouldtoanyotherchapIintendedtobeatinadeal；there’snothingpersonalaboutit。WhenIgetyousoyou’rereadytosellI’llgiveyoufivethousanddollarsforthatstripofland。\"
Iactuallystaggered。IsaidwhatLutehadsaidtome。
\"You’recrazy！\"Icried。\"Fivethousanddollarsforthatland！\"
\"Yes。Oh，Iknowwhatit’sworth。Fivehundredisforthelanditself。Theotherforty—fivehundredispaymentfortheprivilegeofhavingmyownway。Wanttoclosewithmenow？\"
Ittookmesometimetoanswer。\"No，\"isashortandsimpleword，butIfoundittremendouslydifficulttopronounce。YetIdidpronounceit，Iamgladtosay。AfterallthatIhadsaidbeforeI
wouldhavebeenashamedtodoanythingelse。
Hedidnotappearsurprisedatmyrefusal。
\"Allright，\"hesaid。\"I’mnotgoingtocoaxyou。Justrememberthattheofferholdsgoodandwhenyougetreadytoacceptit，singout。Well！\"lookingathiswatch，\"Imustbegoing。MywifewillthinkI’vefallenintothebay，orbeenmurderedbythehostilenatives。Nervesaremeanthingstohaveinthehouse；youcantakemywordforthat。Good—by，Paine。Thankyouagainforlastnightandtherestofit。Mabelwillthankyouherselfwhensheseesyou，Ipresume。\"
HewasonhiswaytothedoorwhenIrecoveredpresenceofmindsufficienttorememberordinarypoliteness。
\"Yourdaughter——er——MissColtoniswell？\"Istammered。\"Noilleffectsfromherwetting——andtheshock？\"
\"Notabit。She’soneofthekindofgirlstheyturnoutnowadays。
Athleticsandallthat。Hergrandmotherwouldhavediedprobably，aftersuchanupset，butshe’sasrightasIam。Oh……er——
Paine，nexttimeyougoshootingletmeknow。MaybeI’dliketogoalong。Iusedtobeabletohitabarndooroccasionally。\"
Hestoppedlongenoughtobitetheendfromacigarandstrolledaway，smoking。Isatdowninthearmchair。\"Fivethousanddollars！\"……\"Carverwon’tdo。\"……\"IwillhavetheLanesometimeorother\"……\"Fivethousanddollars！\"……\"Nexttimeyougoshooting。\"……\"Friends！\"……\"Fivethousanddollars！\"
Oh，thiswasanightmare！Imustwakeupbeforeitgotanyworse。
CHAPTERX
MotherwastheonlyonetowhomItoldthewholestoryofmyexperienceinthe\"tempest\"andofColton’scall。SheandIhadalongtalk。ShewasassurprisedtohearofthefivethousanddollarofferasIhadbeen，butthatIhadrefuseditdidnotsurpriseher。Sheseemedtotakemyrefusalasamatterofcourse，whereasIwasmoreandmoredoubtfulofmysanityatthetime。I
knewwellenoughwhattheopinionofotherswouldbeconcerningthatsanityandIwonderedwhetherornottheymightberight。Infact，Iratherresentedhercalmcertainty。
\"Mother，\"saidI，\"youspeakasiftheofferhadbeenfivecentsinsteadoffivethousanddollars。\"
\"Whatdifferencedoesitmake，Boy？\"sheasked。\"Ifithadbeenonlyamatterofpriceyouwouldhavesoldforsixhundredandfifty。Thatisagooddealmorethanthelandisworth，isn’tit。\"
\"Isupposeso。Butfivethousandisasmallfortunetous。Iamnotsurethatwehavetherighttorefuseit。\"
\"Roscoe，ifyouwerealoneinthismatter——ifIwerenotheretobeconsideredatall——wouldyouhavesoldtheland，nomatterwhatheoffered？\"
\"Idon’tknow，Mother。Ithink，perhaps，Ishould。\"
\"Iknowyouwouldnot。AndIknowtheonlyreasonyoufeeltherefusalmaybewrongisbecauseyouarethinkingwhatthemoneymightdoforme。DoyousupposeIwillpermityoutosacrificeaprincipleyouknowisrightsimplythatImayhaveafewmoreluxurieswhichIdon’tneed？\"
\"Butyoudoneedthem。Why，therearesomanythingsyouneed。\"
\"No，Idon’tneedone。SolongasIhaveyouIamperfectlyhappy。
Anditwouldnotmakememorehappytoknowthatyouacceptedabribe——thatiswhatitis，abribe——becauseofme。No，Boy，youdidexactlyrightandIamproudofyou。\"
\"Iamnotparticularlyproudofmyself。\"
\"Youshouldbe。Can’tyouseehowdifferentlyMr。Coltonregardsyoualready？Hedoesnotcondescendorpatronizenow。\"
\"Humph！heisgratefulbecauseIhelpedhisdaughteroutofascrape，that’sall。\"
\"Itismorethanthat。Herespectsyoubecauseyouarewhathecalledyou，aman。Ifancyitisanewexperiencetohimtofindsomeone，downhereatanyrate，towhomhismillionsmakeabsolutelynodifference。\"
\"Iamgladofit。Itmaydohimgood。\"
\"Yes，Ithinkitwill。Andwhatyoutoldhimaboutthetownspeoplemaydohimgood，too。Hewillfind，asyouandIhavefound，thattherearenokinder，betterpeopleanywhere。YourememberIwarnedyouagainstmisjudgingtheColtons，Roscoe。They，too，Iamsure，aregoodpeopleatheart，inspiteoftheirwealth。\"
\"Mother，youaretoocharitableforthisearth——toounworldlyaltogether。\"
\"Haven’tyouandIreasontobecharitable？There！there！letusforgetthelandandthemoney。Roscoe，IshouldliketomeetthisMissColton。Shemustbeabravegirl。\"
\"Sheisbraveenough。\"
\"IsupposepoorMr。Carverisindisgrace。Perhapsitwasnothisfaultaltogether。\"
Thiswasatrifletoomuch。IrefusedtobecharitabletoVictor。
Iheardfromhim，orofhim，nextday。ImetCaptainJedDeanatthebank，whereIhadcalledtoseeTaylorandinquireconcerninghowheandNelliegothomefromthefestival。Theyhadhadadamp，thoughsafe，journey，Ilearned，andtheMethodistladieshadclearedseventy—fourdollarsandeighty—fivecentsfromtheentertainment。
CaptainJedenteredthedoorasIleftthecashier’sgate。
\"Shipahoy，Ros！\"hailedthecaptain，genially。\"Makeportsafeandsoundaftertheflood？I’dhaveswappedmyhorseandbuggyforNoah’sArkthatnightandwouldn’thaveaskedanybootneither。
DidyouseeMullet’sbridge？Elnathansayshecal’lateshe’sgotwillowkindlin’enoughtolasthimallsummer。Readysplittoo——
thelightnin’attendedtothat。LuteRogersdon’ttalkaboutnothin’else。Ical’latehewisheslightnin’wouldstrikeyourwoodpile；thenhe’dbesavedconsider’blelabor，hey？\"
HelaughedandIlaughedwithhim。
\"IunderstoodPrincessColtonwasoutinthewustofit，\"wentonCaptainJed。\"Didyouhearhowherhorseranaway？\"
\"Yes，\"Ianswered，shortly；\"Iheardaboutit。\"
\"NeverstoppedtillitgothalfwaytoWestBayport。Thecoachmanhangin’ontothereinsandswearin’atthetopofhislungsallthetime。’BijeEllis，wholivesupthatway，saystheroadsmellslikeamatchfactoryevenyet——somuchbrimstoneintheair。Thegirlgothomesomehoworother，theytellme。Ical’lateherfinedudsgottheirnever—get—over。Nelliesaysthehatshewaswearin’
comefromParis，orsomesuchforeignplace。Well，therainfallsonthejustandunjust，soscripturtellsus，andit’strueenough。
Onlytheunjustinthiscasecanaffordnewhatsbetter’nthejust，aconsider’blesight。Denboro’slostapromisin’newcitizen；didyouknowit？\"
\"Whomdoyoumean？\"
\"Hadn’tyouheard？ThatyoungCarverfellershookthedust——themud，Imean——ofourroadsoffhisshoesthismornin’。Hewentawayontheuptrain。\"
Herewasnews。\"Theuptrain？\"Irepeated。\"Youmeanhehasgoneforgood？\"
\"Ishouldcallitforgood，forourgood，anyhow。Yes，he’sgone。
WenttothedepotinColton’sautomobile。Hismajestywentwithhimfur’stheplatform。Thegangthatsawtheproceedin’ssaidthegood—byswan’taffectin’。Coltondidn’tshedanytearsandyoungCarverseemedtobeprettydownatthemouth。\"
\"Butwhatmakesyouthinkhehasgoneforgood？\"Iasked。
\"Why，AlvinBakerwasthere，sameasheusuallyis，andhemanagedtobenighenoughtohearthelastwords——iftherehadbeenany。\"
\"Andtherewerenot？\"
\"Nothin’toamounttomuch。Nothin’aboutcomin’back，anyhow。
Coltonsaidsomethin’aboutbein’rememberedtotheyoungfeller’sma，andCarversaid，’Thanks，’andthatwasall。Alvinsaid’twasprettychilly。They’vegotitallfiggeredoutatthepost—office；
yousee，Carverwastocomebacktothemeetin’houseandpickuphisprincess，andhenevercome。Shestartedwithouthimandgotrunawaywith。Someofthefolkspaddlin’homefromthefestivalsawtheautogobyandheardthecrowdinsidesingin’andlaughin’
andhollerin’。Nobody’sgoin’tosinganightlikethatunlessthey’vegotcargoenoughbelowdeckstomake’emforgetthewetoutside。AndBeriahDoanewasovertoOstableyesterdayandhesaysit’stowntalktherethatyoungParker——theboytheautocrowdwassayin’good—bytoatthehotel——hadtobehelpeduptohisroom。No，IguesslikelytheColtongirlobjectedtoherfeller’sgettin’tightandforgettin’her，soheandshehadarowandherdad，theemperor，givehimhisdischargepapers。Soundsreasonable；
don’tyouthinkso，yourself？\"
Iimaginedthatthesurmisewasclosetothetruth。Inoddedandturnedaway。IdidnotlikeCarver，Idetestedhim，butsomehowI
nolongerfelttriumphathisdiscomfiture。Iwonderedifhereallycaredforthegirlhehadlost。Itwasdifficulttothinkofhimasreallycaringforanyoneexcepthimself，butifIhadbeeninhisplaceandhad，throughmyownfoolishness，thrownawaytherespectandfriendshipofsuchagirl……Yes，IwasbeginningtofeelalittleofMother’scharityfortheyoungidiot，nowthathecouldnolongerinsultandpatronizeme。
CaptainJedfollowedmetothebankdoor。
\"Say，Ros，\"hesaid，\"changedyourmindaboutsellin’thatLanelandyet？\"
\"No，\"Ianswered，impatiently。\"There’snousetalkingaboutthat，CaptainDean。\"
\"Allright，allright。Humph！thefellersaregettin’consider’blefunoutofthatLane。\"
\"Inwhatway？\"
Helaughed。\"Oh，nothin’，\"heobserved，withawink，\"only……
Heardanyextryhurrahin’overtoyourplacelately？\"
\"No。Captain，whatdoyoumean？\"
\"Idon’tmeannothin’。ButIshouldn’twonderiftheGreatPanjandrumandhisfolkswasremindedthatthatLanewasstillopen，that’sall。Ho！ho！Solong，Ros。\"
Ididnotcatchhismeaningatthetime。AfewdayslaterI
discovereditbyaccident。Ihadbeenuptothevillageandwasonmywayhomebytheshortcut。AsIcrossedthefieldbehindSylvanusSnow’sabandonedhouse，thespotwhereMissColtonandI
hadwaitedontheporchthenightofthethundershower，IheardtherattleofacartgoingdowntheLane。Therewasnothingunusualinthis，ofitself，butwithitIheardthesoundofloudvoices。OneofthesevoiceswassoloudthatIcaughtthewords：
\"Now，boys，startherup！ThreecheersfortheStarSpangledBannerandmake’emloud。Lethergo！\"
Thecheersfollowed，uproariousones。
\"Tryitagain，\"commandedthevoice。\"Andkeepherupallthewayalong。We’llshakeupthe’nerves’Iguess。Hooray！\"
Thiswasenough。IunderstoodnowwhatDeanhadmeantbytheColtonsrealizingthattheLanewasstillopen。Iranatfullspeedthroughthescrubandbushes，throughthegrove，andemergedupontheLanedirectlyoppositetheColtonestate。Thewagon——ZebKendrick’sweircart——wasapproaching。ZebwasdrivingandbehindhiminthebodyofthecartwerefourorfiveyoungfellowswhomI
recognizedasbelongingtothe\"billiardroomgang，\"anunorganizedsocietywhosemembersworkedonlyoccasionallybutwereresponsibleformostofthemischiefanddisorderinourvillage。TimHallet，asortofleaderinthatsociety，withthereputationofhavingbeenexpelledfromschoolthreetimesandneverkeepingajoblongerthanafortnight，wasontheseatbesideKendrick，hisbacktothehorse。Zebwasgrinningbroadly。
Thewagoncamenearer，thehorsebarelymoving。TimHalletwavedhisarm。
\"Now，boys，\"heshouted，\"let’shavesomemusic。\"
\"’Everybodyworksbutfather，Andhesetsaroundallday。’——
Whoopherup！\"
Theywhoopedherup。Isteppedoutintotheroad。
\"Here！\"Ishouted。\"Stopthat！Stopit，doyouhear！Kendrick，whatisallthis？\"
Thesongstoppedinthemiddleoftheverse。Zebjerkedthereinsandshouted\"Whoa！\"Halletandhischorusturned。Theyhadbeengazingatthebighouse，butnowtheyturnedandlookedatme。
\"Hello，Ros！\"saidKendrick，stillgrinning，butrathersheepishly。
\"Howbeyou？Gotquiteabandaboard，ain’tI。\"
\"Hello！\"criedHallet。\"It’sRoshimself！Ros，you’reallRIGHT！
Hi，boys！let’sgivethreecheersforthefellerthatdon’ttoadytonobody——millionairesnornobodyelse——hoorayforRosPaine！\"
Thecheeringthatfollowedwasnotquiteasloudasthepreviousoutburst——someofthe\"gang\"mayhavenoticedmyattitudeandexpression——butitwasloudenough。InvoluntarilyIglancedtowardtheColtonmansion。Isawnooneatthewindowsorontheveranda，andIwasthankfulforthat。Thebloodrushedtomyface。Iwassoangrythat，forthemoment，Icouldnotspeak。
TimHalletappearedtoconsidermysilenceandmycrimsoncheeksasacknowledgmentsofthecomplimentjustpaidme。
\"Cal’latetheyheardthatoveryonder，\"hecrowed。\"Don’tyouthinkso，Ros。We’veshowed’emwhatwethinkofyou；nowlet’sgiveouropinionofthem。ThreegroansforoldColton！Comeon！\"
EvenZebseemedtoconsiderthisasgoingtoofar，forheprotested。
\"Holdon，Tim！\"hecautioned。\"Ajoke’sajoke，butthat’salittletoomuch；ain’tit，Ros。\"
\"Toomuchbedarned！\"scoffedHallet。\"We’llshow’em！Now，boys！\"
Thegroanswerenotgiven。Isprangintotheroad，seizedthehorsebythebridleandbackedthewagonintothebank。Tim，insecurelybalanced，fellofftheseatandjoinedhiscomradesonthecartfloor。
\"Hi！\"shoutedthestartleddriver。\"Whatyoudoin’，Ros？What’sthatfor？\"
\"Yougobackwhereyoucomefrom，\"Iordered。\"Turnaround。Getoutofhere！\"
Isavedhimthetroublebycompletingtheturn。WhenIdroppedthebridlethehorse’sheadwaspointingtowardtheLowerRoad。
\"Nowgetoutofhere！\"Irepeated。\"Gobackwhereyoucomefrom。\"
\"But——but，Ros，\"protestedZeb，\"Idon’twanttogoback。I’mgoin’totheshore。\"
\"Thenyou’llhavetogosomeotherway。Youcan’tcrossmyproperty。\"
Hallet，onhisknees，lookedoutovertheseat。
\"What’sthematterwithyou？\"heasked，angrily。\"Didn’tyousaythetowncouldusethisLane？\"
\"Yes。Anyonemayuseitaslongashebehaveshimself。Whenhedoesn’tbehaveheforfeitstheprivilege。Kendrick，youhearme！
Goback。\"
\"ButIdon’twanttogoback，Ros。IfIdoI’llhavetogoclearroundbyMyrick’s，twomileoutofmyway。\"
\"Youshouldhavethoughtofthatbeforeyoubroughtthatcrowdwithyou。Iwon’thavethisLanemadeapublicnuisancebyanyone。
Zeb，I’mashamedofyou。\"
Zebturnedtohispassengers。\"There！\"hewhined，\"Itoldyouso，Tim。Isaidyouhadn’toughttoactthatway。\"
\"Aw，whatareyougivin’us！\"sneeredHallet。\"Youthought’twasasfunnyasanybody，ZebKendrick。Lookhere，RosPaine！I
thoughtyouwasdownonthemColtons。Wefellersareonlyhavin’alittlefunwith’emforbein’sostuck—upandhoggish。Can’tyoutakeajoke？\"
\"Notyourkind。Goback，Zeb。\"
\"But——butcan’tIusetheLaneNOmore？\"pleadedthedriver。\"I
won’tfetch’emhereagin。\"
\"We’llseeaboutthat。Youcan’tuseitthistime。Nowgo。\"
Zebreluctantlyspoketohishorseandthewagonbegantomove。
Halletsworeastringofoaths。
\"I’montoyou，Paine！\"heyelled。\"You’restandin’inwith’em，afterall。YouwaittillIseeCaptainJed。\"
InthreestridesIwasabreastthecart—tail。
\"Seehimthen，\"saidI。\"AndtellhimthatifanyoneusesthisLaneforthepurposeofwilfullyannoyingthoselivingnearitI’llnotonlyforbidhisusingit，butI’llprosecutehimfortrespass。
Imeanthat。Stop！Iadviseyounottosayanotherword。\"
