"Sing it again," entreated Bennet, huskily.... "Sing it again, will ye?"

Tess scarcely heard the words they were so low, so sobbingly spoken. She
cleared the tears from her voice, and "Rescue the Perishin'," and "Jesus
is kind," echoed once more through the long room. From here and there,
suppressed weeping came to the girl's ear; but she did not turn to look
at the weepers. Here, before her, was a man who was watching as Daddy
Skinner had watched the slowly opening gates of eternal life, through
which he must pass, alone and afraid. Ah, if she could make him less so!
If she could give him a little faith to grope on and on and up and up
into the freedom of the life beyond.

Bennet's hand was clasped in Tessibel's; the other covered his eyes.

Suddenly, he dropped his fingers.

"Ye say he's kind?" he gasped. "Jesus air kind, ye say?"

"Yes, yes," breathed Tess.

"But I air such a wicked man, awful wicked. I've done things God'll
never forgive."

"But he will," murmured Tess. "Don't you remember what I sang?" and
again,

"Jesus is merciful," brought a fresh rush of tears from the dying
squatter.

A hoarse rattle sounded, suddenly, in his throat.

"Be ye knowin' Andy Bishop, missy?" he muttered, when he could speak.

"Yes," said Tessibel, aghast. She'd forgotten Andy!

"Yes!" she said again, almost in a query.

"He were up here five years ... innercent," wailed Bennet, "an' they
just telled me he air been brought back again for shootin' Waldstricker.
I were glad at first, but, now, I--"

He coughed spasmodically, and Tessibel closed her fingers more tightly
over the thin hand.

"Tell me about it," she implored. "Don't you want to?"

"Yep, an' I air wantin' to write it.... Bring a paper." Bennet gave the
last order to the silent attendant. The latter left the room but almost
immediately returned with the warden. Tess relinquished the stool and
stood near the head of the bed. In silence the officer wrote the story
Bennet told them.

"It were like this," he stumbled. "Andy didn't have nothin' to do with
shootin' Waldstricker. He were a tryin' to stop me from doin' it.... I
done it!... Let Andy go!... Don't keep him in the coop."

The sunken eyes closed wearily.

"Sing about Him bein' kind, miss," he whispered.

Low, solemn and beautiful, the sweet soprano brought him back from the
brink of the grave.

Leaning over him, Tess whispered, "Jesus is always kind."

"I done the murder," repeated Benn