rts of the
law, an' Dick bein' incapacitated an' rendered null an' void fer the
time involved. As to the crazy spell Dick had, he gave it as his opinion
that such things had been heard of often. He'd 'a' made a good doctor,
that judge would; he said the brain was the finest constructed part of
the human an--an--anatomy--that's it,--anatomy. He said it was made up
of a bunch of fibres an' strings as thin as spider-webs, an' that an
expert with the saw an' knife could open a man's skull an' tickle the
ends of 'em an' make the patient cut a different caper for every nerve
he touched. He said that's why human nature was so varied. He said, with
all fees paid, that Het could suit her own tastes an' inclination. He
said that she could claim that Dick's quar condition an' his
disinclination to furnish a support equal to her reasonable demands
justified her in callin' the fust deal off; or, on t'other hand, that
she could regyard it as the only obligation to which she was bound by
law or religion, an' that he would set about--after the fee was paid in
cash, or by check on any good, reliable bank, or even by a solid,
negotiable note--he would set about to have the second weddin' set
aside, and an-an--"

"Annulled," Henley threw into the gap.

"Yes, that's it--annulled," Wrinkle echoed. "An' he advised her to have
it docketed for next week's special term o' court, and that he'd promise
to rush it through without hitch or bobble. Dick seemed better satisfied
after they left the judge, an' they driv' back home without any more
wranglin'. Dick has bought him some new fishin'-tackle, an' is off to
the river to-day. He has a natural pride in the big plantation, and rid
all over it this mornin'. He says he has some new ideas that he picked
up in the West--before he had his spell, I reckon--which he intends to
apply there."

"Well, I really must hurry on," Dixie said, turning away. "Give my love
to your wife and to Mrs.--to your daughter-in-law. Good-night."

The two men saw her hastening away in the thickening shadows. There was
a vast throbbing within Henley's breast. The whole firmament above
seemed to be shimmering with a subtle, spiritual light. He laid his hand
almost affectionately on the old man's shoulder and beamed down into his
eyes.

"It is all for the best," he said. "I had no right to Dick's place. I
found that out long ago."

"Thar's one thing I don't like about it." Wrinkle was thoughtful, and a
rare mood it was