"This is their work," he said to those around the figure. "It's outrageous. Mr. Lillie has just as good a right to sell tea as anything else, without having everybody pointing their fingers at him. It's an insult. It's disgraceful. Whoever did it ought to be trounced." "Charcoal! Charcoal! Hard and soft charcoal!" It was the cry of the charcoal-man, turning from Union into Middle Street. "I'll get him to run his sled against it and knock it over," said Mr. Richardson to himself. Slowly the charcoal vender advanced. Seeing the post and the group of people around it, he reined in his old horse and looked at the figure. "See here," said Mr. Richardson. "Just gee a little and run the nose of your sled agin it and knock it over, will ye? It's a tarnal fiendish outrage to set up such a thing in front of a gentleman's store." "Do you own the figger?" "No." "Do you own the store?" "No." "Anybody ax ye to get it knocked down?" "No; but it's an outrage which honest citizens ought to resent." "Think so, do ye?" "Yes, I do; and everybody else ought to, instead of laughing and chuckling over it." "That may be, mister, but ye see you don't own it, and may be I'd get myself into trouble if I were to run my sled agin it purposely. Should like to oblige ye, neighbor, but guess I'd better not. Charcoal! Charcoal! Hard and soft charcoal!" he shouted, jerking the reins for the old horse to move on. "Gee, Buck! Haw, Barry!" It was a farmer driving his oxen drawing a load of wood, swinging his goad-stick, who shouted it. The team came to a standstill by the figure. "What's up?" the farmer inquired. "The Sons of Liberty have perpetrated a rascally trick, by setting this effigy in front of this gentleman's store," said Mr. Richardson. "What'd they do that for?" "'Cause he agreed not to sell tea, and then, finding he'd made a bad bargain, backed out of it; and now I'd like to have ye hitch yer oxen to the thing and snake it to Jericho." "'Fraid I can't 'commodate ye; got to go down to widow Jenkins's with my wood. Gee, Buck! Haw, Barry!" said the farmer, as he started on. "Rich, why don't ye pull it up yourself," said an apprentice. "Better get an axe and chop it down, if it's such an eyesore to ye," said another. "Get a crowbar and dig it up. A little exercise will be good for ye," said a third. "Has Lillie engaged ye to get rid of the thing?" another asked. "Did the Sons of Liberty smuggle it ashore during the night?"