He lifted his eyes, presently; someone was approaching the front door. The rickety sidewalk leading up to the courtroom from the general merchandise store down the street acted as an unofficial herald to him; for one section of it, as unfixed as a raft, banged to the tread of all oncomers, and a couple of loose boards still closer at hand creaked and flapped when they were stepped upon. The footfall now nearing was light. The Judge laid down his pipe, rose hastily, straightening out six feet of stalwart length, and reached for his coat. The next moment the round, ruffled top of a white parasol curtained the small square of glass in the door. Then the parasol folded, a slim hand turned the knob and a girl stood on the threshold--a bareheaded, brown-haired girl in a white muslin dress. “Oh, Alicia,” said the Judge, giving a last settling jerk to his coat. A wave of colour swept up from the sunburned lower half of his face and reddened his forehead. “I’d like to speak to you a minute, Gid,” said the girl timidly. “I’m sorry if I’m breaking in on your work.” “You ain’t a-breakin’ in on my work,” he protested. “Not a bit of it.” She closed the door behind her and crossed the floor quickly. She was slender, and the wide girdle of black satin that she wore emphasised her slenderness. The Judge, smiling bashfully, bowed across his desk with mock ceremony. “Take the prisoner’s chair,” he said. She sat down, but with no answering smile. Her manner was somewhat nervous and her grey eyes were full of concern. He took his seat behind the desk and leaned toward her. His eyes were grey like her own, and set in a young face so grave, and so lined by thought and care--as well as by long-continued exposure to wind and sun--that, at first glance, he seemed much older than he was. “I don’t have my little talk with Mrs. Luce an’ Jim till ’leven o’clock,” he explained. “An’ so I’m--I’m glad you dropped in.” Her cheeks grew pink all at once. “I see you been getting some new books.” She nodded toward the column on his right hand. “Yas; four or five of these come this last week.” “They cost, too, don’t they? And if you run for district attorney, that’ll take money.” He was still leaning forward. And now his look suddenly became all eagerness. “Alicia, I got a secret! An’ I been just a-waitin’ t’ tell it to you. I been promised the nomination.” “You have! Oh, Gid, I’m so glad!” “Thank y’, Alicia. That’s the reason I been studyin’ harder’n ever lately. I’m savin’ up my money, too. I got five hunderd a’ready. These days I almost hate to put out a cent on books.” “You’ve done enough for others,” she said earnestly. “It’s time you spent your money on yourself.”