But nothing ever came of these little alarms, so that gradually the inflations grew less and less extensive.

They might perhaps have ceased altogether had it not been for this malignant zeal of Dan Anderson, formerly of Princeton, and now come, hit or miss, to grow up with the country.
Blackman was ever ready enough for a lawsuit, forsooth pined for one.
Yet what could he do?
He could not go forth and with his own hands arrest chance persons and hale them before his own court for trial.
The sheriff, when he was in town, simply laughed at him, and told his deputies not to mix up with anything except circuit-court matters, murders, and more especially horse stealings.

Constable there was none; and policeman--it is to wonder just a trifle what would have happened to any such thing as a policeman or town marshal in the valley of Heart's Desire! In short, there was neither judicial nor executive arm of the law in action.

One may, therefore, realize the hindrances which Dan Anderson met in getting up his lawsuit.

Yet he went forward in the attempt patiently, driven simply by ennui.