said he fiercely. "Here's the copy;
this is the 'rig'nal. Waive the readin', I s'pose? Sorry to
interrupt. So long."

Amidon looked at the stiff document as if it had been a Gila monster on
toast. He saw such words as "State of Pennsylvania, County of Rockoil,
ss," and "Default will be taken against you, and judgment rendered
thereon," and sundry dates and figures. Instinctively he turned to
Judge Blodgett, saying:

"What's this, Blodgett?"

A tremor of panic seized on Amidon, and a wave of sobriety passed over
the guests. Much the same thing must have marked the breaking up of
the feast of Belshazzar. The roisterers gazed at the paper, or began
their preparations for departure.

"What is it?" asked Amidon.

"I don't know enough about the practice here," said the judge slowly,
"to be able to say whether it's good or not--seems to have been hastily
and rather slovenly gotten up----"

"But what is the damned thing?" shouted Alvord; "cut it short and tell
us."

"Seems perfectly regular, though," went on the judge deliberately.
"It's a summons in the case of Daisy Scarlett versus Eugene Brassfield
in a suit for twenty-five thousand dollars for breach of promise of
marriage."

Amidon sank back in a collapse which was almost a faint. The little
nervous Alvord rose to command.

"Now," said he, standing in his place, "I want to say a few words
before a man leaves this room. I know something of this case, and I
want you to take my word that there's no more foundation for it than
there would be if it were brought against any one of us. And
furthermore, there must be nothing said about this. These papers are
not on record yet, and I believe something can be done. Why, confound
it, something shall be done! Every man must pledge me his word that he
won't breathe a word of this, and will deny it if asked about it."

"We promise!" came the unanimous shout.

Alvord walked toward the guest of honor, tripping over the legs of
Bulliwinkle as he went, and offered his hand to Amidon.

"I say, old man, I warned you that you were carrying on a little
strong; and now here's a--"

"How-de-do!" said Bulliwinkle.

_In vino veritas_! Truly, most bibulous Bulliwinkle, thou hast
supplied the very word to convey the meaning for which we at this
moment desire expression! Here's a how-de-do indeed! Just as our
friend Amidon has made a successful lodgment in the outworks of Port
Waldron--a citadel which he had taken