"Jasper!" she cried, running to him. He put his arm about her. "Margaret, how did you get away down here?" "Mr. Starbuck," the Judge began, but with a pleading gesture the old man cut him off. "Please don't say nothin' mo' while she's in here." [Illustration: "JEDGE, FOR THE LORD'S SAKE DON'T HANG HIM"] "I come a ridin' an' a walkin' the best I could," Margaret moaned, looking about, "an' Jasper, I watered the flowers down there under the tree befo' I come, because I knowd it would please you. An' if they hang you, they've got to hang me, too. Jedge, there ain't no better man than he is, an' for the Lord's sake don't hang him." She sank upon her knees; but Jasper quickly lifted her to her feet. "There, you must never do that." "Madam," said the marshal, "Judge Elliott wouldn't--" "Jedge Elliott!" she gasped, and Jasper whispered in her ear: "Don't let him know that his son has married our daughter. He would think we was a beggin'." "Mrs. Starbuck," the Judge kindly spoke, "will you please retire until we have concluded this examination?" "Yes, suh, but let me tell you about him, Jedge. I was po' an' I didn't have no home an' I was almost starvin' an' he married me, an'--you do love me, don't you, Jasper?" "Yes, now go on as the Jedge tells you. Go on an' it will be all right an'--" "You'll come too, won't you?" "Yes, I'll be there putty soon. That's right, now, go on." At the door she halted, and before going out, summed up all her arguments--a pitiful courtesy. "Mr. Starbuck," said the Judge, "I am told that in resisting arrest you so badly injured a deputy that he is not able to be here to-day. I am inclined in every way to favor you, but that, as you must know, is a very serious charge." "Jedge, that ain't true. I didn't resist arrest. Let me tell you about that man Peters. I have had mo' than one cause to kill him in se'f-defense, but I didn't want to do that. A man that has seed as much blood as you an' me has, don't want to kill nobody if he kin help it. Jedge, he is a hound. I had surrendered to the law and was standin' with my hands up, an' he come a runnin' to kill me with a knife, an' I smashed his infernal countenance. No, I didn't resist arrest." Foster stepped forward. "Will your honor please permit me to speak a word. I was in charge of the expedition and the old man tells the truth. Deputy Peters did try to kill him." "Captain," solemnly remarked the Judge, "issue an order for the arrest of Deputy Peters, and my word for it, Mr. Starbuck, he shall be dealt with severely. And now, old man, I may be exceeding my authority, but I have not the heart to send you to prison. Promise me that if I permit you to go home you will not--" "Jedge, my granddaddy an' my daddy didn't have to make no sich promises to the gover'ment they help to save." The Judge walked up and down the room. "Captain, I haven't the heart to send him to prison--I cannot. And Mr. Starbuck, if the marshal does not see you, walk out."