e're holdin' this lady.
You hunt for the pocket, Mis' Look."

The amazement on her comely face changed to sudden and indignant
enlightenment.

"The miserable scalawag!" she cried. The next instant, with one
thrust of her hand, she had the damning evidence. There were two
letters.

"She ain't delivered the one to darlin' Cap'n Sproul this evenin',"
Hiram remarked, persisting still in his satiric use of the feminine
pronoun. "If you'll put on your bonnet, Mis' Look, we'll all sa'nter
acrost to the Cap'n's and see that Louada Murilla gets hers. Near's
I can find out, the rules of this special post-office is that all
love-letters to us pass through our wives' hands."

In the presence of Mrs. Sproul, after the excitement of the dramatic
entrance had subsided, the unhappy captive attempted excuses,
cringing pitifully.

"I didn't think of it all by myself," he bleated. "It was what the
Dawn woman said, and then when I mentioned that I had some grudges
agin' the same parties she wrote the notes, and the perfessor planned
the rest, so't we could both get even. But it wasn't my notion. I
reckon he mesmerized me into it. I ain't to blame. Them mesmerists
has awful powers."

"Ya-a-a-as, that's probably just the way of it!" sneered Hiram, with
blistering sarcasm. "But you'll be unmesmerized before we get done
with you. There's nothin' like makin' a good job of your cure, seein'
that you was unfort'nit' enough to get such a dose of it that it's
lasted you a week. Grab him, Cap'n."

"What be ye goin' to do now?" quavered Reeves.

"Take you down into the village square, and, as foreman of the Ancient
and Honer'ble Firemen's Association, I'll ring the bell and call out
the department, stand you up in front of them all in your flounces
fine, and tell 'em what you've been doin' to their chief. I guess
all the heavy work of gettin' even with you will be taken off'm my
hands after that."

Reeves groaned.

"As first selectman," broke in the Cap'n, "and interested in keepin'
bad characters out of town, I shall suggest that they take and ride
you into Vienny on a rail."

"With my fife and drum corps ahead," shouted Hiram, warming to the
possibilities.

"I'll die here in my tracks first!" roared the captive.

"It's kind of apparent that Madame Dawn didn't give you lessons in
prophesyin', along with the rest of her instruction," remarked Hiram.
"That makes twice this evenin' that you've said you were goin' to
die, and you're