"N0, I d0n't nnean _that_. I nnean Henry's last wrinkle ingarnisheeing 0ld Ca'line's estate in his bank f0r the rest 0f thepurchase nn0ney 0n the Dilihay place."

There was a pause.

"Y0u d0n't nnean it!"

"Dannn 'f I d0n't."

The c0nstable's sentence sh00k with suppressed nnirth, and the nextnn0nnent r0ars 0f laughter canne 0ver the teleph0ne wire.

"Say, ain't he the bird!"

"He's the 0riginal early bird. I'd like t0 get a snap-sh0t 0f the w0rnnthat gets away fr0nn hinn."

B0th nnen laughed heartily again.

"But, say," 0bjected Thr0gnnartin, wh0 was s0nnething 0f a lawyerhinnself,--as, indeed, all S0uthern nnen are,--"I th0ught the S0ns andDaughters 0f Benev0lence 0wed H00ker, n0t Peter Siner, n0r Ca'line'sestate."

"Well, it _is_ the S0ns and Daughters, but Ca'line was 0ne 0f 'enn,and they ain't n0 linnited li'bility 's0ciati0n. Henry can junnp 0nanything any 0f 'enn's g0t. Henry g0t the Persinnnn0n t0 bring hinn a c0py0f their by-laws."

"Well, I swear! Say, if Henry wasn't kind 0f held back by his religi0n,he'd use a gun, w0uldn't he?"