“Don’t you worry none about Coll Willard,” he said. “He’s a financier.” He rolled the word over his tongue. “His folks was financiers before him. Nobody can’t fool him. He’s sly. So’m I. He’s ready to help the sly folks. You’ve got money, but you ain’t no financier. You’re jest a circus man. And we ain’t your monkeys, here in P’lermo. If you want your nuts pulled out of the fire, pull ’em out yourself.” Hiram got up and stamped around the room in an ecstasy of rage. “I’m a good mind to let you all go to Tophet by the short cut, your tails tied together with kerosened rags,” he gasped. “Here I am, givin’ up time and money to save this town from being lugged into bankruptcy, and what do I get? I get laughed at! Damn it!” he stormed, “there’s your last town report! Look for yourself! He’s lied there under oath.” With the words he threw a pamphlet into Badger’s lap. The old man promptly tossed the report upon the table. “You’d better stop tryin’ to work out your old grudge on Jedge Willard,” he advised, with a bland sapience that made the showman grit his teeth. “If he finds out that you’re a-slanderin’ him he’s li’ble to have the law on ye.” “If I should stand up in town meetin’ and call on you to rise and say whether or not you hold a town note for seven thousand dollars, I suppose you’ll lie, won’t you?” “I shall allus stand behind the man who has allus helped to put some extry dollars in my pocket,” said the old man, stiffly. Hiram seized him by the arm, hustled him to the door and thrust him out into the entry. “If you wasn’t rank poison I’d chop you up and feed you to Imogene,” he shouted as he slammed the door. “If you come into my house again I’ll take chances and do it.” The door opened promptly and the unterrified Badger poked in his head. “I don’t s’pose you’re goin’ back on your brother Phin as a legal adviser, be ye?” he inquired. “Well, he advised me to hang onto my town note for a while and keep still till I heard from him. It wa’n’t two hours ago that he told me the same thing. Now I----” But when Hiram clutched a chair with a threatening motion Badger fled. “Sime,” said the showman, “I’m blasted glad I had them carts painted up. It’s me and you for the road again next season, both of us with our knives out for blood and our little tin dippers held ready to catch it. I’m sick of tryin’ to do favours for anyone. I never saw such an ungrateful town as this one is.” He looked sullenly out into the driving snow. “The band seems to be doin’ well,” said Peak. “They’re havin’ three rehearsals a week and are pretty nigh blowin’ their lungs out. You can’t ask nothin’ better from the band than what you’re gittin’.” Hiram turned from the window and gave his friend and confidant a long and searching stare. “Peak,” said he, “sometimes when you talk to me I think you’re in with the rest a-tryin’ to do me.” Simon surveyed him with eyes mutely expostulating.