"But, no matter how innocent you are, you've got to stand trial on this outrageous charge, and the county attorney he's a hard and unsparing man. You'll need brains on your side as well as innocence, for innocence alone seldom gets a man off. And I'm sorry to tell you, son, that Jeff Hammer hasn't got the brains you'll need in your lawyer. He never did have 'em, and he never will have 'em--never in this mortal world!" "I thought he seemed kind of sharp," said Joe, coloring a little at the colonel's implied charge that he had been taken in. "He is sharp," admitted the colonel, "but that's all there is to him. He can wiggle and squirm like a snake; but he's got no dignity, and no learnin', and what he don't know about law would make a book bigger than the biggest dictionary you ever saw." "Land's sake!" said Mrs. Newbolt, lifting up her hands despairingly. "Oh, I guess he'll do, Colonel Price," said Joe. "My advice would be to turn him out and put somebody else in his place, one of the old, respectable heads of the profession here, like Judge Burns." "I wouldn't like to do that, colonel," said Joe. "Well, we'll see how he behaves," the colonel yielded, seeing that Joe felt in honor bound to Hammer, now that he had engaged him. "We can put somebody else in if he goes to cuttin' up too many didoes and capers." Joe agreed that they could, and gave his mother a great deal of comfort and assurance by his cheerful way of facing what lay ahead of him. He told her not to worry on his account, and not to come too often and wear herself out in the long walk. "Look after the chickens and things, Mother," said he, "and I'll be out of here in two weeks to help you along. There's ten dollars coming to you from Isom's; you collect that and buy yourself some things." He told her of the order that he had given Hammer for the retaining fee, and asked her to take it up. "I'll make it up to you, Mother, when I get this thing settled and can go to work again," said he. Tears came into her eyes, but no trace of emotion was to be marked by any change in her immobile face. "Lord bless you, son, it all belongs to you!" she said. "Do you care about reading?" the colonel inquired, scarcely supposing that he did, considering the chances which had been his for development in that way. Mrs. Newbolt answered for Joe, who was slow and deliberative of speech, and always stopped to weigh his answer to a question, no matter how obvious the reply must be. "Oh, Colonel Price, if you could see him!" said she proudly. "Before he was ten years old he'd read the _Cottage Encyclopedy_ and the _Imitation_ and the Bible--from back to back!" "Well, I'm glad to hear you're of a studious mind," said the colonel.