o him."

Levi West's face grew purple red. He pushed back, his chair grating
harshly. "You--bloody land pirate!" he said, grinding his teeth
together. "I see through your tricks. You're up to cheating me out of
my money. You know very well that Squire Hall is down on me, hard and
bitter--writin' his ---- reports to Philadelphia and doing all he can
to stir up everybody agin me and to bring the bluejackets down on me.
I see through your tricks as clear as glass, but ye sha'n't trick me.
I'll have my money if there's law in the land--ye bloody, unnatural
thief ye, who'd go agin your dead father's will!"

Then--if the roof had fallen in upon him, Levi West could not have
been more amazed--Hiram suddenly strode forward, and, leaning half
across the table with his fists clenched, fairly glared into Levi's
eyes. His face, dull, stupid, wooden, was now fairly convulsed with
passion. The great veins stood out upon his temples like knotted
whipcords, and when he spoke his voice was more a breathless snarl
than the voice of a Christian man.

"Ye'll have the law, will ye?" said he. "Ye'll--have the law, will ye?
You're afeared to go to law--Levi West--you try th' law--and see how
ye like it. Who 're you to call me thief--ye bloody, murderin' villain
ye! You're the thief--Levi West--you come here and stole my daddy from
me--ye did. You make me ruin--myself to pay what oughter to been
mine--then--ye--ye steal the gal I was courtin', to boot." He stopped
and his lips writhed for words to say. "I know ye," said he, grinding
his teeth. "I know ye! And only for what my daddy made me promise I'd
a-had you up to the magistrate's before this."

Then, pointing with quivering finger: "There's the door--you see it!
Go out that there door and don't never come into it again--if ye
do--or if ye ever come where I can lay eyes on ye again--by th' Holy
Holy I'll hale ye up to the Squire's office and tell all I know and
all I've seen. Oh, I'll give ye your belly-fill of law if--ye want th'
law! Git out of the house, I say!"

As Hiram spoke Levi seemed to shrink together. His face changed from
its copper color to a dull, waxy yellow. When the other ended he
answered never a word. But he pushed back his chair, rose, put on his
hat and, with a furtive, sidelong look, left the house, without
stopping to finish the supper which he had begun. He never entered
Hiram White's door again.

X

Hiram had driven out the evil spirit from his home, but