One afternoon he wrote a letter to his cousin Archie, and, after
supper, set out, with Brave at his heels, to carry it to the
post-office. He stopped on the way for George and Harry Butler, who
were always ready to accompany him. On the steps of the post-office
they met three or four of their companions, and, after a few moments'
conversation, William Johnson suddenly inquired,

"Have you joined the new society, Frank?"

"What society?"

"Why, the Regulators."

"I don't know what you mean," said Frank.

"Yes, I guess they have managed to keep it pretty quiet," said
William. "They don't want any outsiders to know any thing about it.
They asked me to join in with them, but I told them that they ought to
know better than to propose such a thing to me. Then they tried to
make me promise that I wouldn't say any thing about it, but I would
make no such promise, for--"

"Why, Bill, what are you talking about?" inquired Harry. "You rattle
it off as if we knew all about it."

"Haven't you heard any thing about it, either?" inquired William, in
surprise. "I was certain that they would ask you to join. Well, the
amount of it is that Charley Morgan and a lot of his particular
friends have been organizing a company for the purpose of thrashing
the Hillers, and making them stop robbing hen-roosts and orchards and