justice which you would
not refuse to the meanest person on Blue."

The attack was unfair. Is it ever fair to gain our point by flattering
another's weakness? Dic's statement of the case was hard to evade, so
Mrs. Margarita answered:--

"The girl's too young to marry. I'll never consent. I'll have nothing of
the sort going on, for a while at any rate; give him back the ring."

Rita slipped the ring from her finger and placed it in Dic's hand.

"Now tell me," Mrs. Bays demanded, "how this came about? How came Rita
to faint?"

Rita hung her head and began to weep convulsively.

"Rita and I," answered Dic, "were walking home down the river path. We
had been sitting near the step-off. Doug Hill and Patsy Clark came up
behind us, and Doug tried to kiss Rita. I interfered, and we fought. He
was about to kill me with Patsy's hunting-knife when--when--when I shot
him. Then Rita fainted, and I feared she was dead, so I brought her home
and left Doug lying on his face, with Patsy Clark standing over him."

Rita so far recovered herself as to be able to say:--

"No, mother, I killed him."

"You," shrieked Mrs. Bays, "you?"

"Yes," the girl replied.

"Yes," replied Dic to Mrs. Bays's incredulous look, "that was the way of
it, but I was the cause, and I shall take the blame. You had better not
speak of this matter to any one till we have consulted Billy Little. I
can bear the blame much better than Rita can. When the trial comes, you
and Rita say nothing. I will plead guilty to having killed Doug Hill,
and no questions will be asked."

"If you will do it, Dic, if you will do it," wailed Mrs. Bays.

"I certainly will," returned Dic.

"No, you shall not," said Rita.

"You must be guided by your mother and me," replied Dic. "I know what is
best, and if you will do as we direct, all may turn out better than we
now hope. He was about to kill me, and I had a right to kill him. I do
not know the law certainly, but I fear you had no right to kill him in
my defence. I have read in the law books that a man may take another's
life in the defence of one whom he is bound to protect. I fear you had
no right to kill Doug Hill for my sake."

"I had, oh, I had!" sobbed Rita.

"But you will be guided by your mother and me, will you not, Rita?"
Despite fears of her mother, the girl buried her face on Dic's breast,
and entwining her arms about his neck whispered:--

"I will be guided by you."

Dic then arose and said: "It may be