though
whipped to it."

"If the devil ever whipped a man!" breathed Morgan, "I'm that man."

Judge Maxwell had doubted the man's sanity at first, when he began to
talk about the voice. Now he only marveled at this thing, so elusive of
all human science to explain, or human philosophy to define. He recalled
an experience of a friend--one who had been for many years court
stenographer--who, in a distant city, had been impelled to seize his
pencil on a certain night, and write a message which he seemed to hear
plainly dictated into his ear by one in Shelbyville. As soon as the post
could carry a message to the man whose voice the stenographer had heard,
he was asked about the telepathic communication. He at once mailed to
the man who had taken it down, more than two thousand miles away, the
identical message, word for word. It had been an experiment, he said.

Perhaps something like that had occurred in Morgan's case, or perhaps
the man merely had dreamed, a recurring dream such as everybody has
experienced, and the strong impression of his vision had haunted him,
and driven him to the act. And perhaps someone of vigorous intellect and
strong will had commanded him. Perhaps--no matter. It was done.

Morgan was there, and the record of justice in the case of state against
Newbolt was about to be made final and complete.

"You say it's all over, Judge," spoke Morgan. "What did they do with
Joe?"

"What happened in court today," said Judge Maxwell, rising to his feet,
"you would have heard if you had been there. But as you were not, it is
not for me to relate. That is the privilege of another, as the matter of
your condemnation or acquittal is in other hands than mine."

"I know I acted like a dog," admitted Morgan, sincerely contrite, "both
to Ollie and to Joe. But I'm here to take my medicine, Judge. I thought
a lot of that little woman, and I'd 'a' made a lady of her, too. That
was it. Judge; that was at the bottom of this whole business. Ollie and
I planned to skip out together, and Joe put his foot in the mess and
upset it. That's what the fuss between him and old Isom was over, you
can put that down in your book, Judge. I've got it all lined out, and I
can tell you just----"

"Never mind; I think I understand. You'd have made a lady of her, would
you? But that was when she was clean, and unsuspected in the eyes of the
world. How far would your heroism go, Morgan, if you met her in the
street tonight, bespatter