could not remain here, though it was her birthplace and her
home.... She longed for friendship! She asked for bread and you gave
her--a stone!"

The profound silence was broken by a sob from a distant corner. The
strained listeners turned with a sharp movement of relief.

"Fer pity sake!" faltered Abby Daggett, her beautiful, rosy face all
quivering with grief. "Can't nobody do nothing?"

"Yes, ma'am!" shouted the big voice of Judge Fulsom. "We can all do
something.... I ain't going to sum up the case against Brookville;
the parson's done it already; if there's any rebuttal coming from the
defendant, now's the time to bring it before the court.... Nothing to
say--eh? Well, I thought so! We're guilty of the charges preferred,
and I'm going to pass sentence.... But before I do that, there's one
thing the parson didn't mention, that in my opinion should be told,
to wit: Miss Lydia Bolton's money--all that she had--came to her from
her uncle, an honest hardworkin' citizen of Boston. He made every
penny of it as a soap-boiler. So you see 'twas _clean_ money; and he
left it to his niece, Lydia Bolton. What did she do with it? You
know! She poured it out, right here in Brookville--pretty nigh all
there was of it. She's got her place here; but mighty little besides.
I'm her trustee, and I know. The five thousand dollars found on the
dead body of Andrew Bolton, has been made a trust fund for the poor
and discouraged of this community, under conditions anybody that'll
take the trouble to step in to my office can find out...."

The Judge paused to clear his throat, while he produced from his
pocket, with a vast deal of ceremony, a legal looking document
dangling lengths of red ribbon and sealing wax.

"This Bond of Indemnity, which I'm going to ask every man, woman and
child of fifteen years and up'ards, of the village of Brookville,
hereinafter known as the Party of the First Part, to sign, reads as
follows: Know all men by these presents that we, citizens of the
village of Brookville, hereinafter known as the Party of the First
Part, are held and firmly bound unto Miss Lydia Orr Bolton,
hereinafter known as the Party of the Second Part.... Whereas; the
above-named Party of the Second Part (don't f'rget that means Miss
Lydia Bolton) did in behalf of her father--one Andrew Bolton,
deceased--pay, compensate, satisfy, restore, remunerate, recompense
_and re-quite_ all legal indebtedness incurred by said Andrew Bolton
to, for,