He cawntracked to set out three trees, and then he cawntracked to dig six post-holes, and-when he gave his occupation to the census-taker he set himself down as a "cawntractor." He had laid siege to Katy in his fashion, slouching in of an evening, and boasting of his exploits until Smith Westcott would come and chirrup and joke, and walk Katy right away from him to take a walk or a boat-ride.
Then he would finish the yarn which Westcott had broken in the middle, to Mrs.Plausaby or Miss Marlay, and get up and remark that he thought maybe he mout as well be a-gittin' on.
In the county-seat war, which had raged about the time Albert had left for Glenfleld, Dave Sawney had come to be a man of importance.

His own claim lay equidistant from the two rival towns.

He bad considerable influence with a knot of a dozen settlers in his neighborhood, who were, like himself, without any personal interest in the matter.

It became evident that a dozen or a half-dozen votes might tip the scale after Plausaby, Esq., had turned the enemy's flank by getting some local politician to persuade the citizens of Westville, who would naturally have supported the claims of Perritaut, that their own village stood the ghost of a chance, or at least that their interests would be served by the notoriety which the contest would give, and perhaps also by defeating Perritaut, which, from proximity, was more of a rival than Metropolisville.

After this diversion had weakened Perritaut, it became of great consequence to secure even so small an influence as that of Dave Sawney.