48 With Feet to the Earth 



teries, because he wants to draw up papers 

 about it. The lawyer in one New Eng- 

 land village you never find more than 

 one, and the neighbors often agree that he 

 is one too many used to profit when he 

 could by presenting bills for imaginary 

 services given to dead people. The heirs 

 or executors of the deceased would have 

 no proof or knowledge of such services, 

 but there was the bill, and the matter was 

 usually compromised. In one case a 

 claim for one hundred dollars was sent to 

 the son of a well-to-do villager almost 

 before the latter was in his coffin. The 

 son said to the lawyer, " Look here, Chip- 

 man ; you never did any work for my 

 father. He wouldn't have hired you, any- 

 way, if he'd wanted a lawyer. I won't pay 

 the bill. But, rather than be annoyed by 

 you, I'll give you five dollars." 



"All right," replied the conscientious 

 attorney, and he receipted the paper. 



There was a retired stage-driver who had 

 quite a little bank deposit, and who held 

 this lawyer's post-mortem accounts in fear. 

 "I hope," he grumbled, "that when it's 



