[Illustration:  Not one word did I hear about the Goverment that wuz in partnership with that man.]

Wall, the little coffin wuz closed at last, the mother wuz carried faintin’, and lookin’ like a dead woman, back to her empty, darkened home.  The father, with a face like white marble, curbin’ down his own agonized grief so’s to take care of her, and try to bring her back to the world agin, so they could together face its blackness and emptiness.

And the crowd dispersed, lookin’ forward to the excitement of the hangin’.

And the saloon-keeper went home and mebby counted over the few cents that accrued to him out of the hull enterprise.

And the wise male voters returned, a-calculatin’ (mebby) on votin’ for license so’s to improve the condition of their towns.

And Uncle Sam, poor, childish old creeter, mebby wrote down aginst this hull job—­“three cents revenue.”  And mebby he rattled them cents round in his old pockets.  I don’t know what he did; I hain’t no idee what he won’t take it into his old head to do.

And the prisoner sot in his dark, cold cell, and didn’t appreciate, mebby, the wisdom of the wise law-makers increasin’ our revenues by such means.

No; he had all he could do to set and look at the bare stun walls, and figger out this sum—­on one side the three cents profit; and substract from it—­a bright young life ended, lifelong agony to the hearts that loved her.

His own old mother’s and sister’s heads and hearts bowed down in shame and sorrow.

His own hopeful life cut short at the edge of the scaffold, and for the future—­what?

He couldn’t quite work that out, for this text kep comin’ into his sum—­“No drunkard shall inherit eternal life.”

And then another text kep a-comin’ up—­

“Cursed is he that putteth the cup to his neighbor’s lips.”

No, he didn’t feel the triumphant wisdom of the licker traffic.  He wouldn’t feel like rattlin’ the three cents round in his pockets if he had ’em, but he didn’t have ’em.  His sum, no matter how many times he figgered it out, stood nothin’ but orts, nothin’ but clear loss to him, here and hereafter.

Wall, I have rode off considerable of a ways with my wagon hitched on in front of my horse, and to go back to the horse’s head agin.

I had a good dinner by the time the boys got back from Zoar—­a excellent one.

And in order to go on with my story, and keep right by that horse’s head I spoke of, I will pass over Josiah’s excitement when he come in jest before dinner, and throwed his rope down in the corner of the kitchen; but suffice it to say, his excitement wuz nearly rampant.

I will pass over the two boys’ indignant anger, which wuz jest the same as mine, only stronger, as much stronger as man’s strength is stronger than a woman’s.

Thomas J. had been successful in gittin’ the young chap; he wuz a-comin’ when he wuz wanted.  Thomas J. wuzn’t goin’ to wait till the last minute before he engaged him; our son is a wonderful good business man—­wonderful.