"I wonder if we can fly back?"
"It is doubtful," the captain answered. "We'll try and get her out,
first."
As they were climbing over the pile of broken boards to get a view
of the aeroplane, an excited farmer came rushing out of a barn, a
short distance away.
"Hey, what do you fellers mean--smashing down out of the clouds,
bustin' up my pig pen, and scatterin' 'em to the four winds?" he
yelled. "I'll have th' law on you for this! I'll make you pay
damages! You killed a lot of my pigs, I reckon!"
"I don't see any dead ones," spoke the captain, calmly. "It was an
accident."
"That's what them autermobile fellers says when they run over my
chickens," snarled the unpleasant farmer. "But they has t' pay for
'em all the same."
"And we are willing to pay you anything in reason," said the
Captain. "I don't believe we killed any of your pigs, however.
But the shed was so rotten it was ready to fall down of itself,
which was a good thing for us. How much do you want?"
"Well, I want a hundred dollars--that's what I want."
"The shed, when new, wasn't worth a quarter of that."
"I don't care!" snapped the farmer. "That's my price. Some of my
pigs may be lost for all I know, and pork's goin' t' be high this
year. I want a hundred dollars, or you don't take your old shebang
offen my premises. I'll hold it till you pay me."
The army officers looked serious at this. Clearly the farmer had
a right to damages, but a hundred dollars was excessive.
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