“Nor anything about my being implicated in the robbery of Jenkins’s store?” Still holding the roll of bills in his hand, and turning over the ends, exhibiting the V’s and X’s most tantalizingly. “No; I’ll swear I never heeard nobody say you had anything to do with it.” “You’re an honest man, Seth; here’s a hundred on account. The other hundred you shall have after the Court.” The Court had been in session some time, when the Colonel and myself arrived, and Seth had just been sworn. He was to destroy the character of Harris, by testifying in regard to the sheep-stealing, and the robbery at Painted Post. “Han’t no knowledge on the pint.” “Have you never heard, while living at Painted Post, that he was suspected of being engaged in the robbery?” “I do-no. I never take no notice about what people say _suspiciously_ about their neighbours.” “Really you’re a very singular witness. Let me jog your memory a little. Do you remember having said anything about Harris’s connection with the Tioga sheep-stealing, and the Jenkins’s store robbery, while you were at Gillis’s store one night last April?” “As fer’s my reck’lection serves, I ha—ant.” “Were you at Gillis’s store on the night of the 17th of April?” “I do-no for sartin.” “Were you in Ridgeway at all on the 17th of April?” “Yeeas, I was.” “How do you fix the time? Proceed, and tell the justice, (we shall get at the truth of this story yet,” aside to the plaintiff.) “Come Sir, proceed Sir.” “Wall, on the mornin’ of the 17th, Dickson says he to me, says he, ‘Seth, go down to Mr. Dill’s, and get the nails clenched in the brown mare’s off-hind foot.’ So I jist put a halter on an’, cantered down to Ridgeway, and stopt tu Gileses’ store, an’ bort some thread an’ needles for Ant Jerusha, an’ Gilleses’ clark ast me ef I wouldn’t like to taste sum new rum he had jest got up from Bellefonte, an’ I said, ‘Yis,’ an’ he poured out abeout have a tumbler, an’ I drinkt it right deown.” “Well, Sir, go on.” “Well, then I led the brown mare over tu Dill’s, an ast Miss Dill—” “You mean Mrs. Dill, his wife?” “Yeas, Miss Dill. I ast Miss Dill ef Mr. Dill was tu hum, an’ she sed, “‘No, he’s deown tu the lick b’low Andrewses’ mill, arter deer. What you want?’ says she. “‘I want to get the nails clenched to the mare’s off-hind foot,’ sez I. “‘Wal,’ sez she, ‘can’t yeu du it yerself?’ “‘Wal,’ says I, ‘I guess I can.’ “So she showed me whar the horse-nails war, an’ giv’ me the hammer, an’ I put on Dill’s leather apron, an’ at it I went. I got in three nails right snug, and clenched them, an’ was drivin’ deown the third, when the mare shied at suthen, and shoved her foot a-one side, an’ the hammer cum deown caslap! right on this there thumb-nail. You see” (holding it up) “it’s not growed eout yit.” “But what has that to do with the talk at Gillis’s store?”