56 The Devil and Daniel Webster

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........
Parag 43
  _
"The defense rests," said Dan'l Webster, and stood there like
a mountain. His ears were still ringing with his speech, and
he didn't hear anything else till he heard Judge Hathorne say,   _
"The jury will retire to consider its verdict."

Walter Butler rose in his place and his face had a dark, gay   _
pride on it.

"The jury has considered its verdict," he said, and looked the   _
stranger full in the eye. "We find for the defendant, Jabez
Stone."
........
Parag 44
  _
With that, the smile left the stranger's face, but Walter
Butler did not flinch.
  _
"Perhaps 'tis not strictly in accordance with the evidence,"
he said, "but even the damned may salute the eloquence of Mr.
Webster."   _

With that, the long crow of a rooster split the gray morning
sky, and judge and jury were gone from the room like a puff of   _
smoke and as if they had never been there. The stranger
turned to Dan'l Webster, smiling wryly.
........
Parag 45
  _
"Major Butler was always a bold man," he said. "I had not
thought him quite so bold. Nevertheless, my congratulations,
as between two gentlemen."   _

"I'll have that paper first, if you please," said Dan'l
Webster, and he took it and tore it into four pieces. It was   _
queerly warm to the touch. "And now," he said, "I'll have
you!" and his hand came down like a bear trap on the
stranger's arm. For he knew that once you bested anybody like   _
Mr. Scratch in fair fight, his power on you was gone. And he
could see that Mr. Scratch knew it too.
........
Parag 46
  _
The stranger twisted and wriggled, but he couldn't get out of
that grip. "Come, come, Mr. Webster," he said, smilingly
palely. "This sort of thing is ridic----ouch!----is   _
ridiculous. If you're worried about the costs of the case,
naturally, I'd be glad to pay-----"
  _
"And so you shall!" said Dan'l Webster, shaking him till his
teeth rattled. "For you'll sit right down at that table and
draw up a document, promising never to bother Jabez Stone nor   _
his heirs or assigns nor any other New Hampshireman till
doomsday! For any hades we want to raise in this state, we
can raise ourselves, without assistance from strangers."
........
Parag 47
  _
"Ouch!" said the stranger. "Ouch! Well, they never did run
very big to the barrel, but --- ouch!----I agree!"
  _
So he sat down and drew up the document. But Dan'l Webster
kept his hand on his coat collar all the time.
  _
"And, now, may I go?" said the stranger, quite humble, when
Dan'l'd seen the document was in proper and legal form.
........
Parag 48
  _
"Go?" said Dan'l, giving him another shake. "I'm still trying
to figure out what I'll do with you. For you've settled the
costs of the case, but you haven't settled with me. I think   _
I'll take you back to Marshfield," he said, kind of
reflective. "I've got a ram there named Goliath that can butt
through an iron door. I'd kind of like to turn you loose in   _
his field and see what he'd do."

Well, with that the stranger began to beg and to plead. And   _
he begged and he pled so humble that finally Dan'l, who was
naturally kindhearted, agreed to let him go. The stranger
seemed terrible grateful for that and said, just to show they   _
were friends, he'd tell Dan'ls fortune before leaving. So
Dan'l agreed to that, though he didn't take much stock in
fortunetellers ordinarily. But, naturally, the stranger was a   _
little different.
........
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  _
Well, he pried and he peered at the lines in Dan'l's hands.
And he told him one thing and another that was quite
remarkable. But they were all in the past.   _

"Yes, all that's true, and it happened," said Dan'l Webster.
"But what's to come in the future?"   _

The stranger grinned, kind of happily, and shook his head.
  _
"The future's not as you think it," he said. "It's dark. You
have a great ambition, Mr. Webster."
........
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  _
"I have," said Dan'l firmly, for everybody knew he wanted to
be President.
  _
"It seems almost within your grasp," said the stranger, "but
you will not attain it. Lesser men will be made President and
you will be passed over."   _

"And, if I am, I'll still be Daniel Webster, " said Dan'l.
"Say on."
........
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  _
"You have two strong sons," said the stranger, shaking his
head. "You look to found a line. But each will die in war
and neither reach greatness."   _

"Live or die, they are still my sons," said Dan'l Webster.
"Say on."   _

"You have made great speeches," said the stranger. "You will
make more."
........
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  _
"Ah," said Dan'l Webster.

"But the last great speech you make will turn many of your own   _
against you," said the stranger. "They will call you Ichabod,
they will call you by other names. Even in New England, some
will say you have turned your coat and sold your country, and   _
their voices will be loud against you till you die."

"So it is an honest speech, it does not matter what men say,"   _
said Dan'l Webster. Then he looked at the stranger and their
glances locked.
........
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  _
"One question," he said. "I have fought for the Union all my
life. Will I see that fight won against those who would tear
it apart?"   _

"Not while you live," said the stranger, grimly, "but it will
be won. And after you are dead, there are thousands who will   _
fight for your cause, because of words that you spoke."

"Why, then, you long-barreled, slab-sided, lantern-jawed,   _
fortunetelling note shaver!" said Dan'l Webster, with a great
roar of laughter, "be off with you to your own place before I
put my mark on you! For, by the thirteen original colonies,   _
I'd go to the Pit itself to save the Union!"
........
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  _
And with that he drew back his foot for a kick that would have
stunned a horse. It was only the tip of his shoe that caught
the stranger, but he went flying out of the door with his   _
collecting box under his arm.

"And now," said Dan'l Webster, seeing Jabez Stone beginning to   _
rouse from his swoon, "let's see what's left in the jug, for
it's dry work talking all night. I hope there's pie for
breakfast, Neighbor Stone."
........
Parag 55
  _
But they say whenever the devil comes near Marshfield, even
now, he gives it a wide berth. And he hasn't been seen in the
state of New Hampshire from that day to this. I'm not talking   _
about Massachusetts or Vermont.