were to charge his kodak with chloroform and put me in a state of 

 coma, so as to photograph my freckles. "Vigilance, eternal vigilance, 

 is the price of liberty," said some old orator. That may be so, but I 

 know that eternal vigilance is insufficient to guard me against this 

 villain's depredations. Every gun is likely to kick its owner. Some 



cameras are so. This camera kicked 

 the villain. Here is the villain himself. 

 He has been on my farm among my 

 cornshocks killing my rabbits and quail. 

 He is caught red-handed. Though he 

 wears after his name a learned title and 

 browbeats students with threats of poor 

 grades, that will avail him nothing now. 

 He has paid no heed to my signs on my 

 farm. One is "Do not watter stalk 

 here." Another is 

 "No shoting on this 



has found farm." He has paid 



him with my M K no attention to either 



birds and ffl |^P I sign. His kodak has 



beasts slung ^ m. JpB m caught him "watter- 



at his belt. IB %ftr " i , mT in nis stalk," and 



My word for 

 it but it shall 

 go hard with 



him ere he gets out of the grip 

 of the law. He will rue having 

 sided with Mrs. Mugwump 

 against me, and having joined 

 blithely in the witticisms at my 

 expense. I will not be revenge- 

 ful, but just. A neighbor has the 

 sign, "This farm for sail." I do 

 not have that because this farm 

 is not in the market, but the signs I do have mean business, and the 

 villain must find out signs mean what they say. "No lickin', no larn- 

 in';" but I mean he shall not grow old (he is already grown up) igno- 

 rant. I will see that he " larns." 



Then the villain is a hunter. He has no conscience. I have seen 



209 



THE VILLAIN AND HIS FRIENDS 



