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crowd. "You might go around to Railroad's office to-day, Ab, an', if you keer to light in an' do a little work with the new gang, it would he'p that much."

"Shore, if I can be of any he'p," agreed Abner with the easiness of his kind.

Abner left the courthouse and started toward the yellow office on the west side of the square. As he went along he did not pause to gossip with the country folk as he once would have done. Too many perplexities were in his mind to permit such aimless conversations. He was acquiring the focussed attitude of the town. He heard somebody drawl, "Money has turned Ab Teeftaller into a stuck-up town johnny. I guess he's forgot his daddy died in the county jail."

A group of men were already forming below Railroad Jones's high porch in anticipation of the magnate's new draft on labour. They were talking about the lawsuit, about what wages Jones would pay. As Abner came up they turned to him.

"How's this suit goin' to turn out, Ab?" asked a black-bearded man. "I hear Perry Northcutt's got ever' foot of Railroad Jones' lan' tied up in mortgages."

"Don't worry," said Abner in an oracular manner, "the only way to beat Railroad Jones in a lawsuit is to kill him."

At this reply the hillmen burst into raucous laughter, which fell into silence as Railroad Jones waddled out on his porch. There was something grim in his square jaundiced face, purple birthmark, and little burnt-out eyes. He caught and held the attention of the crowd.

"Boys," he began in his spewing voice, "you know what we're up ag'inst here in Lanesburg."

"Yeh, Railroad, we know."

"Arntown wants to grab our railroad after we got it built. I ain't callin' names, but the man I partnered with has gone back on me and says he won't allow me to finish the road I promised you folks."

A murmur from the crowd at this.