his knock and invited him into the house.
Recognizing Sandy's voice, Jake shouted from the back room:

"Heard about Andy Bishop gettin' free?"

When Brewer came into the kitchen a moment later, Letts had taken a
seat. Beside him on the floor lay a large tissue-wrapped package and in
his hands he held a shiny new hat.

"Sure, I've heard he's back," he grinned, brushing a little
flower-pollen from a very loud trouser leg. "How'd it happen?"

Sandy handed Brewer a cigar and stuck one, jauntily, in his own mouth.

"Smoke that, while ye're tellin' me 'bout Andy," he suggested. "It air
the best money'd buy."

When the cigars were burning satisfactorily, Brewer sat down on the
doorstep and cleared his throat loudly. His news was the biggest thing
that'd happened in the Silent City since Orn Skinner escaped the rope.
Glad of another opportunity to recount the story of the dwarf's
liberation, he began:

"Well, ye see, Sandy, in the first place, yer tellin' old Eb, an'
gettin' the little feller sent back to Auburn air the best thing ever
happened to the kid. Tess and the Professor went with 'im. When they got
to the prison, Owen Bennet were dyin' in the horspitle. The brat seen
'im, an' sung to 'im an' talked to 'im, an' he confessed; said Andy
didn't do the shootin' but was tryin' to stop it, just as the kid allers
claimed."

"Yep," interrupted Letts, earnestly. "That air the way it were."

Jake nodded and continued:

"Sure, Sandy, us-uns all knowed ye swore false on the trial.... Well,
next day, Young an' the brat went to Albany to see the guvener."

The ex-convict's eyes widened at the thought of the squatter girl in
such august company.

"He were fine to Tess. Seemed kind a stuck on her, the Professor says.
The brat told 'im all about how she'd looked after Andy, an' how he were
in prison five years innercent, an' then, he give 'er a free pardon for
'im. Day before yesterday, they brought 'im home. Some happy they air, I
tell ye!"

"Well," commented Sandy, "I air glad he's out. I never did feel jest
right 'bout his bein' shet up, but I were needin' the money."

Jake rose, and coming into the room, took up a broken fishing tackle and
sat down again.

"That ain't all the news, nuther, Sandy. While the Professor was to
Auburn, some skunks tore down old Moll's shack. She come down here in
the rain madder'n a settin' hen. The old woman's going to stay with
us-uns."

"It air a fine thing fer old Moll," added Mr