and she gave him a long,
unrestrained, despairing embrace and kiss.

"Go on, Frank," she said, choking, when she let him go. "God bless you.
I'll pray for you." He paid no further attention to her. He didn't dare.

"Good-by, Lillian," he said to his wife, pleasantly, kindly. "I'll be
back in a few days, I think. I'll be coming out to attend some of these
court proceedings."

To his sister he said: "Good-by, Anna. Don't let the others get too
down-hearted."

"I'll see you three afterward," he said to his father and brothers; and
so, dressed in the very best fashion of the time, he hurried down into
the reception-hall, where Steger was waiting, and was off. His family,
hearing the door close on him, suffered a poignant sense of desolation.
They stood there for a moment, his mother crying, his father looking
as though he had lost his last friend but making a great effort to seem
self-contained and equal to his troubles, Anna telling Lillian not to
mind, and the latter staring dumbly into the future, not knowing what
to think. Surely a brilliant sun had set on their local scene, and in a
very pathetic way.

Chapter LII

When Cowperwood reached the jail, Jaspers was there, glad to see him but
principally relieved to feel that nothing had happened to mar his
own reputation as a sheriff. Because of the urgency of court matters
generally, it was decided to depart for the courtroom at nine o'clock.
Eddie Zanders was once more delegated to see that Cowperwood was brought
safely before Judge Payderson and afterward taken to the penitentiary.
All of the papers in the case were put in his care to be delivered to
the warden.

"I suppose you know," confided Sheriff Jaspers to Steger, "that Stener
is here. He ain't got no money now, but I gave him a private room just
the same. I didn't want to put a man like him in no cell." Sheriff
Jaspers sympathized with Stener.

"That's right. I'm glad to hear that," replied Steger, smiling to
himself.

"I didn't suppose from what I've heard that Mr. Cowperwood would want to
meet Stener here, so I've kept 'em apart. George just left a minute ago
with another deputy."

"That's good. That's the way it ought to be," replied Steger. He was
glad for Cowperwood's sake that the sheriff had so much tact. Evidently
George and the sheriff were getting along in a very friendly way, for
all the former's bitter troubles and lack of means.

The Cowperwood party walked, the distance not