Wycliff’s acquaintances—and he had many among all classes in Elmfield—were surprised at seeing him at large, and congratulations and inquiries were of frequent occurrence. But he saw something which made him, for the moment, unconscious of the attentions of friend or foe,—a pretty pony, drawing a cart in which were several children.
Wycliff stopped suddenly. His memory went back to a scene in a sick-room not many months before, and to a promise which he had forgotten. For a time he had been unable to keep the promise. Recently he had been able to keep his promise, but had forgotten it. He wandered down the main street of Elmfield, and then off down a side street, to a livery and sale stable.
“Do you keep those little ponies, such as children drive?� he asked the proprietor, an old acquaintance.
“No, there is too little call for them, but I order them when wanted. Do you want one?�
“Yes, a perfectly gentle and safe one, as my boy is not very strong. I am going over to Cook’s for a cart, and to Brandon’s for a harness. Please send the pony to Brandon’s to be fitted with a harness; get the cart, and send the outfit to my place, ready for use.�
When these purchases had been made, Wycliff called upon his attorney, Lawyer Sturgis. An hour later Sheriff Coggswell was posting up a notice of attachment in the Monadnock, the principal hotel of Elmfield. As Zechariah Baldwin owned both the Elmfield Star and the Hotel Monadnock, the hotel could be lawfully attached for the misdeeds of the newspaper, while Massachusetts Law in a measure protects the newspaper plant from attachment.
“What does this mean?� asked the manager of the hotel.
“It means,� replied the smiling sheriff, “that those who dance must pay the fiddler,� and straightway he started for the “Paper Town,� to serve personal notice upon the Lord of Papyrus himself. Sheriff Coggswell was the only Berkshire officer who was independent of the Baldwins—the only one who did not acknowledge the political authority of Congressman Baldwin, the political boss of the County and State. Consequently he fully enjoyed the present situation.
The case against Zechariah Baldwin came up in the Superior Court, a little later, for trial. Wycliff, the plaintiff, was ready to proceed with the case. The defendant, through his attorney, pleaded for delay.
Judge Selden, after hearing both attorneys patiently, ordered an immediate trial.