because just as many men could be brought into court who would testify on

one side as could be found to testify on the other. But he said he was

willing to do the fair thing by all parties, and would act upon any

suggestion Mr. Sturgis would make for the solution of the difficulty.

Mr. Sturgis was on his feet in a second.

Impanel a jury of six of each, Luck versus Science. Give them candles

and a couple of decks of cards. Send them into the jury-room, and just

abide by the result!"

There was no disputing the fairness of the proposition. The four deacons

and the two dominies were sworn in as the "chance" jurymen, and six

inveterate old seven-up professors were chosen to represent the "science"

side of the issue. They retired to the jury-room.

In about two hours Deacon Peters sent into court to borrow three dollars

from a friend. [Sensation.] In about two hours more Dominie Miggles

sent into court to borrow a "stake" from a friend. [Sensation.] During

the next three or four hours the other dominie and the other deacons sent

into court for small loans. And still the packed audience waited, for it

was a prodigious occasion in Bull's Corners, and one in which every

father of a family was necessarily interested.

The rest of the story can be told briefly. About daylight the jury came

in, and Deacon Job, the foreman, read the following:

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Sketches New and Old