“I can easily believe you, especially when we come to consider the disagreeables of a mob.”
“You may say that. There’s no knowing what they will or won’t do, confound them! If they’d act like men, and pay for what they have, why, then I shouldn’t care much about them; but it don’t do to have other people in the bar.”
“I should think not, indeed; that would alter the scale of your profits, I reckon.”
“It would make all the difference to me. Business,” added the landlord, “conducted on that scale, would become a loss; and a man might as well walk into a well at once.”
“So I should say. Have many such occurrences as these been usual in this part of the country?” inquired the stranger.
“Not usual at all,” said the landlord; “but the fact is, the whole neighbourhood has run distracted abou
