n of his troubled heart, that none of them
observed how often the thin, nervous female, walking rapidly ahead,
looked over her shoulder at one of their number.

CHAPTER III.

PIGWORTH, J.P.

The village was composed of the usual ingredients, in the usual
proportions. Law, drygoods, liquor, blacksmithing, carpentry, education,
painting and glazing, medicine, dentistry, tinware, and other comforts
of civilization, were all to be had on reasonable terms. There were four
churches with rival steeples, and two taverns with rival signs. The
village contained everything that any reasonable man could ask for,
except a barber's shop. It takes a good-sized town to support a
barber's shop.

As they marched into the village, they were conscious of attracting
general attention. Men looked out of the doors, women out of the
windows, and boys had begun to fall in procession behind.

"Them are the performers," said one boy to another "Wonder what that
feller with the big hat does?" observed a second. "Turns the crank,
guess," was the response.

Patching pulled his hat farther over his eyes, and smiled gloomily at
Tiffles, "They little think who I am," he murmured.

"What a solemncholy mug that tall chap's got," said another youthful
citizen. This made Marcus try to laugh genially at the boys. But
in vain.

"Say, Bill, isn't that little feller's shirt out o' jail?"

Tiffles made a personal application of this remark. It was his constant
misfortune to suffer rents in portions of his garments where their
existence was least likely to be discovered by himself. As he could not
publicly verify the suggestion of the impertinent small boy, he buttoned
his coat tightly about him.

How their identity with the panorama of Africa had been established, was
a mystery. Small boys divine secrets by instinct, as birds find food
and water.

The two taverns were the National House and the United States Hotel.
Although the signs were large and clean, the taverns were small and
dirty. There was no choice between them, except in the fact that the
United States Hotel was directly opposite Washington Hall. Therefore the
adherents of the panorama cast their fortunes with that place of
entertainment for man and beast--particularly beast.

Mr. Thomas Pigworth, the landlord, was seated on the stoop of his
hostelry, discoursing of national politics to a small group of his
fellow citizens, who were performing acrobatic feats with chairs in a
cir