as at last. The single hair had
parted and the sword had fallen. And now, of all times, now! He
made a pitiful attempt at denial.

"It ain't so," he protested.

"Oh, yes, it is so. Six or eight weeks ago--in January 'twas--
there was a drummer in my store sellin' a line of tools and he was
lookin' out of the window when this Phillips cuss went by with Maud
Hunniwell, both of 'em struttin' along as if common folks, honest
folks, was dirt under their feet. And when this drummer see 'em he
swore right out loud. 'Why,' says he, 'that's Charlie Phillips, of
Middleford, ain't it?' 'His name's Phillips and he comes from
Connecticut somewheres,' says I. 'I thought he was in state's
prison,' says he. 'What do you mean?' says I. And then he told
me. 'By godfreys,' says I, 'if you can fix it so's I can prove
that's true I'll give you the biggest order you ever got in this
store.' ''Twon't be any trouble to prove it,' says he. 'All
you've got to do is look up his record in Middleford.' And I've
looked it up. Yes, sir-ee, I've looked it up. Ho, ho!"

Jed, white and shaking, made one more attempt.

"It's all a lie," he cried. "Of course it is. Besides, if you
knew so much why have you been waitin' all this time before you
told it? If you found out all this--this pack of rubbish in
January why did you wait till March before you told it? Humph!
That's pretty thin, I--"

Phineas interrupted.

"Shut up!" he ordered. "Why did I wait? Well, now, Shavin's,
seein' it's you and I love you so, I'll tell you. At first I was
for runnin' right out in the street and hollerin' to all hands to
come and hear the good news about Sam Hunniwell's pet. And then
thinks I: 'Hold on! don't be in any hurry. There's time enough.
Just wait and see what happens. A crook that steals once is liable
to try it again. Let's wait and see.' And I waited, and-- He,
he, he!--he has tried it again. Eh, Shavin's?"

Jed was speechless. Babbitt, looking like a triumphantly vicious
Bantam rooster, crowed on.

"You don't seem to be quite so sassy and talky as you was when I
first came in, Shavin's," he sneered. "Guess likely YOU ain't
feelin' well now . . . eh? Do you remember what I told you last
time I was in this shop? I told you I'd pay my debts to you and
Sam Hunniwell if I waited fifty year. Well, here's Hunniwell's pay
comin' to him now. He's praised that Phillips thief from one end
of Ostable county to the other, told ho