tan', don't you? It wuz my inhe'ited name."

"But don't you know that what you have done is a penitentiary offence?"

"Who you stan'in' up talkin' to dat erway, you nasty impident little
scoun'el? Don't you talk to me dat erway. I reckon ef yo' mammy was
hyeah she sut'ny would tend to yo' case. You alluse was sassier an'
pearter den yo' brother Nelse, an' he had to go an' git killed in de
wah, an' you--you--w'y, jedge, I'se spanked dat boy mo' times den I kin
tell you fu' hus impidence. I don't see how you evah gits erlong wid
him."

The court repressed a ripple that ran around. But there was no smile on
the smooth-shaven, clear-cut face of the young Southerner. Turning to
the attorney for the defence, he said: "Will you take the witness?" But
that gentleman, waving one helpless hand, shook his head.

"That will do, then," said young Fairfax. "Your Honor," he went on,
addressing the court, "I have no desire to prosecute this case further.
You all see the trend of it just as I see, and it would be folly to
continue the examination of any of the rest of these witnesses. We have
got that story from Aunt Dicey herself as straight as an arrow from a
bow. While technically she is guilty; while according to the facts she
is a criminal according to the motive and the intent of her actions, she
is as innocent as the whitest soul among us." He could not repress the
youthful Southerner's love for this little bit of rhetoric.

"And I believe that nothing is to be gained by going further into the
matter, save for the purpose of finding out the whereabouts of this
Brother Buford, and attending to his case as the facts warrant. But
before we do this, I want to see the stamp of crime wiped away from the
name of my Aunt Dicey there, and I beg leave of the court to enter a
nolle prosse. There is only one other thing I must ask of Aunt Dicey,
and that is that she return the money that was illegally gotten, and
give us information concerning the whereabouts of Buford."

Aunt Dicey looked up in excitement, "W'y, chile, ef dat money was got
illegal, I don' want it, but I do know whut I gwine to do, cause I done
'vested it all wid Brothah Buford in his colorednization comp'ny." The
court drew its breath. It had been expecting some such _denouement_.

"And where is the office of this company situated?"

"Well, I des can't tell dat," said the old lady. "W'y, la, man, Brothah
Buford was in co't to-day. Whaih is he? Brothah Buford, whaih y