f the shady side of Stillwater life, Mr. Taggett
unearthed many amusing and many pathetic histories, but nothing that
served his end. Finally, he began to be discouraged.

Returning home from the tavern, one night, in a rather desponding
mood, he found the man Wollaston smoking his pipe in bed. Wollaston
was a taciturn man generally, but this night he was conversational,
and Mr. Taggett, too restless to sleep, fell to chatting with him.
Did he know much about the late Mr. Shackford? Yes, he had known him
well enough, in an off way,--not to speak of him; everybody knew him
in Stillwater; he was a sort of miser, hated everybody, and bullied
everybody. It was a wonder somebody didn't knock the old silvertop on
the head years ago.

Thus Mr. Wollaston grimly, with his pores stopped up with
iron-fillings,--a person to whom it would come quite easy to knock
any one on the head for a slight difference of opinion. He amused Mr.
Taggett in his present humor.

No, he wasn't aware that Shackford had had trouble with any
particular individual; believed he did have a difficulty once with
Slocum, the marble man; but he was always fetching suits against the
town and shying lawyers at the mill directors,--a disagreeable old
cuss altogether. Adopted his cousin, one time, but made the house so
hot for him that the lad ran off to sea, and since then had had
nothing to do with the old bilk.

Indeed! What sort of fellow was young Shackford? Mr. Wollaston
could not say of his own knowledge; thought him a plucky chap; he had
put a big Italian named Torrini out of the yard, one day, for talking
back. Who was Torrini? The man that got hurt last week in the Dana
Mill. Who were Richard Shackford's intimates? Couldn't say; had seen
him with Mr. Pinkham, the school-master, and Mr. Craggie,--went with
the upper crust generally. Was going to be partner in the marble yard
and marry Slocum's daughter. Will Durgin knew him. They lived
together one time. He, Wollaston, was going to turn in now.

Several of these facts were not new to Mr. Taggett, but Mr.
Wollaston's presentation of them threw Mr. Taggett into a reverie.

The next evening he got Durgin alone in a corner of the bar-room.
With two or three potations Durgin became autobiographical. Was he
acquainted with Mr. Shackford outside the yard? Rather. Dick
Shackford? His (Durgin's) mother had kept Dick from starving when he
was a baby,--and no thanks for it. Went to school with him, and knew