You can go back to Pepper
County and get put in jail, but you can't say I haven't warned you
fairly."

"You ought to leave your fortune to the railroad, Judge," said Austen.
"Generations to come would bless your name if you put up a new station in
Ripton and built bridges over Bunker Hill grade crossing and the other
one on Heath Street where Nic Adams was killed last month. I shouldn't
begrudge a cent of the money."

"I suppose I was a fool to talk to you," said the Honourable Hilary,
getting up.

But his son pushed him down again into the Windsor chair.

"Hold on, Judge," he said, "that was just my way of saying if I accepted
your offer, it wouldn't be because I yearned after the money. Thinking of
it has never kept me awake nights. Now if you'll allow me to take a few
days once in a while to let off steam, I'll make a counter proposal, in
the nature of a compromise."

"What's that?" the Honourable Hilary demanded suspiciously.

"Provided I get admitted to the bar I will take a room in another part of
this building and pick up what crumbs of practice I can by myself. Of
course, sir, I realize that these, if they come at all, will be owing to
the lustre of your name. But I should, before I become Mr. Flint's
right-hand man, like to learn to walk with my own legs."

The speech pleased the Honourable Hilary, and he put out his hand.

"It's a bargain, Austen," he said.

"I don't mind telling you now, Judge, that when I left the West I left it
for good, provided you and I could live within a decent proximity. And I
ought to add that I always intended going into the law after I'd had a
fling. It isn't fair to leave you with the impression that this is a
sudden determination. Prodigals don't become good as quick as all that."

Ripton caught its breath a second time the day Austen hired a law office,
nor did the surprise wholly cease when, in one season, he was admitted to
the bar, for the proceeding was not in keeping with the habits and
customs of prodigals. Needless to say, the practice did not immediately
begin to pour in, but the little office rarely lacked a visitor, and
sometimes had as many as five or six. There was an irresistible
attraction about that room, and apparently very little law read there,
though sometimes its occupant arose and pushed the visitors into the hall
and locked the door, and opened the window at the top to let the smoke
out. Many of the Honourable Hilary's callers preferred the littl