As for the young law student, it should be said Larry’s presence did not for a moment disturb his peace of mind. In fact, he did not consider the “ragged boor” worth the dignity of being considered a rival for the hand of the sweet Lucy Howlitt, forsooth! Larry had at least one opportunity to display his superiority over his supercilious rival, even if it was in an humble manner. Pluto Snyder lived in an adjoining town, though less than a mile and a half away, and it was his delight to take Lucy out to rides on pleasant afternoons whenever she would go, which seemed unnecessarily often to watchful Larry. But, if priding himself upon being able to drive a horse upon the road, Pluto had never mastered the intricacies of that common wearing apparel of the animal known as the harness. The terms of hames, saddle, girth, bits, etc., were less understood by him than the expressions of Blackstone were to the poor boy digging in the field by the roadside with a load at his heart which troubled him more than his hard work. Thus one day, as he was returning from one of those pleasure trips, accompanied by Miss Howlitt, by some means the girth became unbuckled, and, descending a hill at that time, the thills of the wagon were thrown up so that the horse was frightened and threatened to run. Pluto, more alarmed than the animal, shouted for it to stop, and pulling on one rein, steered the team into the ditch. The horse grew more unmanageable, and the driver leaped to the ground, forgetful of his companion, while he continued to make his mixed cries. By this time Lucy was frightened, and her cries were added to those of her companion, though she did not jump from the wagon. Fortunately, Larry was working in the adjoining field, in company with Job Westcott, the hired man, and he ran to the assistance of the couple, followed by Job. Seeing what the trouble was, though himself a novice in the matter of harnesses, Larry called out for young Snyder to stop pulling on the reins. He then ran to the horse’s head, and led it back into the road. Job then reached the spot, and seeing the girth dangling in the air, buckled that, and looked the harness over without discovering any other difficulty. “Blamed ijit!” he said, “if you had as much sense as the hoss and let him take his own way, you’d come out better.” This nettled Pluto, who exclaimed, loudly: “If I don’t know as much as such a clodhopper as you are, I’ll hoe weeds all day the Fourth, and you may go in my place to make the oration at Gainsboro.” “Drat my pictur’, if I couldn’t shout to more puppose’n you can, I’d send a calf in my place,” muttered Job, starting back into the field in a high dudgeon. Pluto Snyder was climbing back into the wagon, and he had no sooner gained his seat than he called out in his loud voice for Larry to let go of the horse’s bridle. “Don’t let go,” pleaded Lucy; “please let him lead him to the foot of the hill?”