love
you. Look at me. Daddy. I care more for you than for any one else in
the whole world.

"Yes," she sez, standin' up an' flashin' a look into Dick's eyes as
fierce as they had ever shot themselves. "Yes, an' if you think to win
me by strikin' down my old Dad, why--we have both been mistaken, an' I
despise you!"

Silver looked as though she had struck him in the face with a whip; the
hot blood swept up to his hair, an' then left him ghastly white again;
while she put her hand on the ol' man's shoulder an' looked like an
eagle protectin' her brood. I looked around for Hawthorn, who had
become entirely forgotten. Gee! how I envied him his chance just then;
but there he stood, lookin' like a white rabbit bein' tried for murder.
The girl looked at him too, gave him one long scornful look; then she
looked back at Silver, standin' all alone like the statue of a king;
an' then she looked up at me. "Happy," she sez, "you never failed me
yet. Clear this room--clear it of every one but just ourselves."

"Clear the room," I yells. "Come, friends, this is the time to step
lively. You can go into the store-room an' dance if you want to, but
the weddin' has been postponed."

They filed out in good order, all except Dick, Friar Tuck, an'
Hawthorn. Hawthorn stood leanin' again the wall, lookin' at Dick as
though he was seein' a ghost. I tapped him on the shoulder. "Git!" I
sez, "your number didn't win nothin'." He gives a start, then down on
the floor he flops with his eyes turned in an' his mouth frothin' a
little. Friar Tuck straightened him out an' began to rub his hands; an'
I turned to Dick.

"Now, it's your turn to go," I sez. "I'd advise you to go clear to
England, where you'll find good news."

He came toward me as if he didn't see me, an' when he reached me he
said: "You better go along too, Happy. I want to talk to them alone."

"Jim," I said, usin' the old name, "I don't want to do you harm. This
game is up; you'd better go along peaceable."

He looked at me a moment in surprise, an' then his face got haughty,
an' he put out his hand to push me aside. I took him by the arm an'
swung him over against the wall. At first he couldn't seem to
understand that I was in ear-nest, an' then his hand shot to hip an'
breast; but he had spoke the truth, he wasn't armed. I had him covered,
an' he sneered into my face without speakin'. I walled over an'
examined him, but he didn't have even a knife. I didn't have the heart
to