"I thank you, suh. Well, finally, my time come. I married a game little woman an' we had two of as fine boys as the world ever seen. I raised my co'n on that same hill-side an' made my licker an' the government never said a word. An' when me an' them boys was a workin' up there we could hear that little woman a singin' down at the house--a singin' the songs of glory she had hearn the old soldiers sing. Well, one day me an' them boys--twin boys, Jedge,--was a hoein' the co'n in the field. I ricolleck it jest as well as if it was yistidy. An' atter all these years I can hear that song a comin' up from the house. An' then--then come that same thrillin' noise, the beatin' of drums an' a blowin' of fifes. We clim' up on the fence, jest like my granddaddy an' my daddy had done, an' I cried out, 'Whut's the trouble now?' The drums stopped, an' one of the men raised his flag up high an' shouted, 'The country is a splittin' up an' the Union needs soldiers.' An' I says, 'Come on, boys.' I can look back now, Jedge, an' see that little woman a standin' under a tree a wavin' us a good-bye with an old flag. I can see her yit. Jedge, we went down into the fiery furnace. We seed the flag droop an' fall, an' then--then rise in victory. Yes, I seed it. But my boys--my boys that was like picturs in the book--they was left at Gettysberg. An' when that po' little woman hearn that they wan't comin' back, she pined away an' died--an' when I come home a bleedin', there was a grave under the tree where we had seed her a standin' jest befo' we went down beyant the hill. I--" "Mr. Starbuck--" "Wait a minit, Jedge, I ain't through yit. What did I know how to do when I got back to work? What had my grandaddy an' my daddy done? I went to raisin' of my co'n an' a makin' of my licker, an' still the gover'ment never said a word. But atter a while I hearn it was ag'in the law, an' I says, 'me an' all my folks have been a sheddin' of our blood for our country, an' some of them fellers that makes the laws never done that.' But I stopped sellin' the licker. I made it whenever I wanted to, somehow jest for a old time's sake, an' I sent it to sick folks--sent some of it to our ripresentative in Congress, right into the heart of the gover'ment an' not a word was said." "Old man--" "I ain't quite through yit, Jedge. The neighbors knowd that I made licker when I wanted to an' they never said nuthin', but lately a scoundrel took it into his head to give me trouble. Fust he wanted to marry my daughter an' then he threatened that unless I'd give him a thousand dollars--but, Jedge, I'd seen him in hell fust!" "You must not use such language, Mr. Starbuck. You are before the law." "Excuse me, suh, excuse me. Wall, an' they brought me down here, an' here I am. That's all, Jedge." The Judge arose. "Old man, you are a patriot, from a race of patriots, and in my heart, I can hardly--" There came a rap at the door. Foster opened it and Margaret rushed into the room.