"What town is that ?" he added.
"Pleasantville--which is a lie--but I am neither sufficiently drunk nor sufficiently sober to cope with the possibilities your question offers.
It is a task one should approach only after extraordinary preparation," and the sometime major-general of militia grinned benevolently.
"It's a town, ain't it ?" asked Hannibal doubtfully.

He scarcely understood this large, smiling gentleman who was so civilly given to speech with him, yet strangely enough he was not afraid of him, and his whole soul craved human companionship.
"It's got a name--but you'll excuse me, I'd much prefer not to tell you how I regard it--you're too young to hear.

But stop a bit--have you so much as fifty cents about you ?" and the judge's eyes narrowed to a slit above their folds of puffy flesh.

Hannibal, keeping his glance fixed on the man's face, fell back a step.

"I can't let you go if you are penniless--I can't do that!" cried the judge, with sudden vehemence.
"You shall be my guest for the night.