Nothing pleased Ezra more than to get placed thus argumentatively at
bay, with the entire company against him, and then discomfit them all
at a stroke. The general expression of dissent with which his previous
remark was received, seemed actually to please him. He stood looking
at Abner for a moment, without speaking, a complacent smile just
curving his lips, and the sparkle of the intellectual combatant in
his eye. To persons of Ezra's disputatious and speculative temper,
such moments, in which they gloat over their victim as he stands within
the very jaws of the logic trap which they are about to spring, are
no doubt, the most delightful of life.
"Don't yew be in sech a hurry, Abner," he finally ejaculated. "Would
ye mind payin yer taxes ef govment giv ye the money ter pay em with?"
"No. In course I wouldn't."
"Ezzackly. Course ye wouldn't. Ye'd be dum unreas'nable ef ye did.
Wal, naow I callate that air's jess what govment's gonter dew, ez soon
ez it gits the news from Northampton and Barrington. It's gonter print
a stack o' bills, an git em inter cirk'lashun, an then we'll all on us
hev suthin tew pay fer taxes, an not mind it a bit; yis, an pay all
the debts that's a owin, tew.
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