"Why, as to that," answered Miller, who being appealed to on a question of law, conceived it necessary to show his learning, "if a man strikes at me within striking distance, I can sue him for assault, though he shouldn't touch me. That I call one of the nice pints of the law. I decided so myself in the case of Samuel Pond _versus_ Ezekiel Backus. You see Pond and Backus had a little quarrel about some potatoes Pond sold him, and Pond got mad, and told Backus he lied. Backus is rather hasty, and doubled up his fist, and put it near Pond's nose, and insinuated that if he said that again he would knock him down." Here the squire paused, and looked round to see what impression he was making on his audience, and the momentary silence was taken advantage of by Gladding to observe: "That Pond's a mean cuss." The justice took no further notice of honest Tom's not very complimentary remark than to cast at him a look of angry surprise, which the other endured with complete indifference. "So," continued Squire Miller, "Pond went to Lawyer Tippit, and he brought the suit before me. Backus pleaded his own case, but he had a fool for a client; the law was all against him, and I had to fine him a dollar and cost." "That's considerable to pay," exclaimed Tom, "just for skinning such a fellow's nose as Sam Pond's (I've heard of the case afore), but you ain't said nothing, squire, about calling a man a liar." "Well," said Squire Miller, "that's what we call a mute point. I heard the affirmative and negative argued once by Lawyer Ketchum and Lawyer Tippit. Lawyer Tippit was the affirmative, and Lawyer Ketchum the negative. Lawyer Tippit's principle was in _medio pessimus ibis_, while Lawyer Ketchum held _qui facit per alien facit per se_. They, therefore, couldn't agree, they were so wide apart, you see. So they separated without either giving up, though I think Lawyer Tippit had a little the best of the argument." "Lawyer Tippit knows a thing or two," said the fisherman, in a low tone. Here Squire Miller handed to Mr. Jenkins twelve and a half cents, for the four glasses of Jamaica he had drank, a portion of which some way or other seemed to have got into his last speech, and took his leave. He had hardly left the store when who should come in but Constable Basset, bearing in his hand a black staff, "having a head with the arms of the State thereon," the badge of his office, as provided by law, and which he was required to carry "upon proper occasions." Some such occasion had, in the judgment of the constable, evidently arisen, else it would not now be forthcoming.