The young lady courtesied at the close of her speech，which was so sensible and well worded， and delivered withsuch grace and propriety， that everybody thought her fitto be preceptress of the best academy in the State. Buta stranger would have supposed that Mr. Higginbothamwas an object of abhorrence at Parker’s Falls and thata thanksgiving had been proclaimed for his murder， soexcessive was the wrath of the inhabitants on learningtheir mistake. The mill-men resolved to bestow publichonors on Dominicus Pike， only hesitating whether to tarand feather him， ride him on a rail or refresh him with anablution at the town-pump， on the top of which he haddeclared himself the bearer of the news. The selectmen，by advice of the lawyer， spoke of prosecuting him for amisdemeanor in circulating unfounded reports， to thegreat disturbance of the peace of the commonwealth.
Nothing saved Dominicus either from mob-law or a courtof justice but an eloquent appeal made by the younglady in his behalf. Addressing a few words of heartfeltgratitude to his benefactress， he mounted the greencart and rode out of town under a discharge of artilleryfrom the schoolboys， who found plenty of ammunitionin the neighboring clay-pits and mud-holes. As heturned his head to exchange a farewell glance with Mr.
Higginbotham’s niece a ball of the consistence of hastypuddinghit him slap in the mouth， giving him a most grimaspect. His whole person was so bespattered with the likefilthy missiles that he had almost a mind to ride back andsupplicate for the threatened ablution at the town-pump；for， though not meant in kindness， it would now have beena deed of charity.
However， the sun shone bright on poor Dominicus，and the mud—an emblem of all stains of undeservedopprobrium—was easily brushed off when dry. Beinga funny rogue， his heart soon cheered up； nor could herefrain from a hearty laugh at the uproar which his storyhad excited. The handbills of the selectmen would causethe commitment of all the vagabonds in the State， theparagraph in the Parker’s Falls Gazette would be reprintedfrom Maine to Florida， and perhaps form an item in theLondon newspapers， and many a miser would tremble forhis moneybags and life on learning the catastrophe of Mr.
Higginbotham. The pedler meditated with much fervoron the charms of the young schoolmistress， and swore thatDaniel Webster never spoke nor looked so like an angelas Miss Higginbotham while defending him from thewrathful populace at Parker’s Falls.
Dominicus was now on the Kimballton turnpike，having all along determined to visit that place， thoughbusiness had drawn， him out of the most direct road fromMorristown. As he approached the scene of the supposedmurder he continued to revolve the circumstances in hismind， and was astonished at the aspect which the wholecase assumed. Had nothing occurred to corroboratethe story of the first traveller， it might now have beenconsidered as a hoax； but the yellow man was evidentlyacquainted either with the report or the fact， and therewas a mystery in his dismayed and guilty look on beingabruptly questioned. When to this singular combinationof incidents it was added that the rumor tallied exactlywith Mr. Higginbotham’s character and habits of life， andthat he had an orchard and a St. Michael’s pear tree， nearwhich he always passed at nightfall， the circumstantialevidence appeared so strong that Dominicus doubtedwhether the autograph produced by the lawyer， or eventhe niece’s direct testimony， ought to be equivalent.
Making cautious inquiries along the road， the pedlerfurther learned that Mr. Higginbotham had in his servicean Irishman of doubtful character whom he had hiredwithout a recommendation， on the score of economy.
“May I be hanged myself，” exclaimed Dominicus Pike，aloud， on reaching the top of a lonely hill， “if I’ll believeold Higginbotham is unhanged till I see him with my owneyes and hear it from his own mouth. And， as he’s a realshaver， I’ll have the minister， or some other responsibleman， for an endorser.”