“I lost a customer to-day, John,” he remarked, after a long pause.
“Indeed! Which induced you to increase your expenses, by raising the rent,” bantered Harrington.
“Collected for him these six years back,” continued the Captain, pensively. “Lem Atkins, you know.”
“Lemuel Atkins!” exclaimed Harrington, leaning forward. “Why that’s Mrs. Eastman’s brother.”
“Certain. Cotton merchant on Long Wharf, and a black sheep he is too. Webster Whig—pro-slavery up to the hub—reg’lar aristocrat every way. He was one of the Fifteen Hundred Scoundrels, as Phillips called ’em. Ruther guess all the bad that ever was in his sister and niece was drawn off before they were born, and bottled up in him.”
“And how came you to lose him?” interrogated Harrington.
“Well, I’ll tell you,” replied the Captain. “You see, I’ve collected the rents of eight of his houses for six years back—some of ’em went ruther aginst my grain, too. Poor houses, scacely fit for human bein’s to live in, two or three of ’em, and sech as no decent man would own or let out to anybody. Howiver. He gave me the memorandums of three more about a week ago. Mighty big rents Atkins gits for these dwellin’s, thinks I to myself, as I entered them on my book. Spoon o’ horn! I niver guessed it till I went down there yesterday, an’ found out what sort of houses them are for which Atkins gits his big rents.”
“That’s fine in Atkins,” remarked Harrington. “Always talking about the duty of citizens to obey the laws, right or wrong, and here he violates the statute against letting houses for such purposes. But perhaps he didn’t know who his tenants were.”
“He know? Lord! he knew fast enough,” replied the Captain. “Laws? All the laws he obeys are the laws that go for his money. There’s lots like him. They go for every money law, from the Fugitive Slave Law upward, for I ruther guess there ain’t no downward from the Fugitive Slave Law. Why, there’s a Massachusetts law aginst over usury. Who don’t keep it? Who lets out money for ten per cent., twenty per cent., any per cent. they can git? Them very sort o’ men that’s always blatherin’ about obedience to the laws, right or wrong. Ony when a man’s libaty’s consarned, and the law goes for takin’ it away from him, then they’re awfully law-abidin’ citizens. By the great horn spoon! I’d just like to have the stringin’ up of them law-abiders with a copy of the Revised Statutes round their necks!”
Harrington leaned back in his chair, with his hands clasped, and his brow knitted.