feeds him. Why should I hesitate to express
my gratitude? That's all I'm doing--just paying him back a bit of the
debt I owe him, and I'm going to move Heaven and earth to bring his
father around to my way of thinking. I've got you already----"

The judge bounded to his feet. Could his ears have heard aright?

"Got me already?" he exclaimed. "What do you mean by that?"

Annie returned his angry look with the utmost calm. She was playing her
cards well, and she knew it. She had hit the old man in a sensitive
place. Quietly, she went on:

"You'd say 'yes' in a minute if it wasn't for Mr. Jeffries."

"Oh, you think so, do you?" he gasped.

"I'm sure of it," she replied confidently. Boldly she went on: "You're
afraid of him."

Judge Brewster laughed heartily.

"Afraid of him?" he echoed.

"It isn't so funny," she went on. "You're afraid of opposing him. I'm
not surprised. I'm afraid of him myself."

The lawyer looked at her in an amused kind of way.

"Then why do you oppose him in everything?" he demanded.

Annie laughed as she replied:

"That's the only way I can get his attention. Why, when he met me out
there to-day he actually looked at me. For the first time in his life he
recognized that he has a daughter-in-law. He looked at me--and I'm not
sure, but I think he wanted to bow to me. He's kind of beginning to sit
up and take notice."

Judge Brewster frowned. He did not like the insinuation that he was
afraid to do the right thing because it might interfere with his
emoluments. Yet, secretly, he had to admit to himself that she had
almost guessed right. Now he came to think of it, he had taken this
stand in the matter because he knew that any other course would
displease his wealthy client. After all, was he doing right? Was he
acting in conformance with his professional oath? Was he not letting his
material interests interfere with his duty? He was silent for several
minutes, and then, in an absent-minded kind of way, he turned to his
visitor.

"So you think I'm afraid of him, do you?"

"I'm sure of it," she said quickly. "You liked my husband, and you'd
just love to rush in and fight for him. His father thinks he is guilty
and, well--you don't like to disobey him. It's very natural. He's an
influential man, a personal friend of the President and all that. You
know on which side your bread is buttered, and--oh, it's very
natural--you're looking out for your own interests----"

Judge Brewster inte