“I kin tell you how he accounts for it,” says Mr. Atkins. “It’s carelessness on his part, that’s what it is. When he bought this Criterion churn he’s claimin’ for his invention—over in Litchfield a few days ago—he painted it up red, white, and blue, so as to cover up the printing on the churn, but he didn’t figger far enough to see if there was anythin’ stamped on the metal parts inside. Jest carelessness, I’d say, and very reprehensible sich carelessness is, especial in a feller that calc’lates to swindle a whole town!” “Swindle!” yelled Mr. Kinderhook. “That there is the i-dentical word,” says Mr. Atkins. Then Kinderhook rushed at Mr. Atkins, but Mr. Atkins just give a shove that near upset him, and the crowd, who hadn’t heard what was going on, began to growl and make noises, and Kinderhook rushed again to the front of the platform and began to talk; but Mr. Atkins went and reached for his collar and jerked him back till he sat down kerplunk on the seat of his pants. “Kind of hang on to him so’s he don’t git away,” says he, and Mr. Wade and Captain Winton stood over Kinderhook, and Kinderhook jest got pale and shaky and didn’t dast to move. Then Mr. Atkins went to the railing and commenced to talk to the folks. At first they was mad, but he kept at it till they got quiet and then told them the whole story from beginning to end, and explained to them, simple and careful, how Kinderhook was a man that had always made a living by swindling folks, and how this was about the biggest swindle he had ever aimed to bring off. Well, it was funny to watch the folks. First off they was mad at Mr. Atkins—that they hadn’t recognized yet—for interfering with Kinderhook, and then they were mad at him because he was keeping them from getting rich, and then they got mad at Kinderhook not because he tried to cheat them out of what they had, but because his scheme was a swindle and they were cheated out of all the money they expected to get. It was mostly disappointment they showed. Then they got right down mad and were all for doing something mighty severe to Kinderhook, but Mr. Atkins and the captain prevented that. It was a regular uproar and I wouldn’t have missed it for a dollar. In the middle of it Captain Winton shook hands with Mr. Atkins and says, “You have performed a great service to this town to-day,” says he, “and our people will appreciate it—when they get over their disappointment.” “Maybe,” says Mr. Atkins.