est evaluation of his precarious position. He
had to hide until he was deemed capable of handling his own affairs,
after which he could fight his own battles in his own way without the
interference of the laws that are set up to protect the immature.

With Tim Fisher and his brand-new bride out of the way, James took a deep
breath at having leaped one more hurdle. Then he sat down to think.

Obviously there is no great sea-change that takes place at the Stroke Of
Midnight on the date of the person's 21st birthday; no magic wand is
waved over his scalp to convert him in a moment of time from a puling
infant to a mature adult. The growth of child to adult is as gradual as
the increase of his stature, which varies from one child to the next.

The fact remained that few people are confronted by the necessity of
making a decision based upon the precise age of the subject. We usually
cross this barrier with no trouble, taking on our rights and
responsibilities as we find them necessary to our life. Only in probating
an estate left by the demise of both parents in the presence of minor
children does this legal matter of precise age become noticeable. Even
then, the control exerted over the minor by the legal guardian diminishes
by some obscure mathematical proportion that approaches zero as the minor
approaches the legal age of maturity. Rare is the case of the reluctant
guardian who jealously relinquishes the iron rule only after the proper
litigation directs him to let go, render the accounting for audit, and
turn over the keys to the treasury to the rightful heir.

James Holden was the seldom case. James Holden needed a very adroit
lawyer to tell him how and when his rights and privileges as a citizen
could be granted, and under what circumstances. From the evidence already
at hand, James saw loopholes available in the matter of the legal age of
twenty-one. But he also knew that he could not approach a lawyer with
questions without giving full explanation of every why and wherefore.

So James Holden, already quite competent in the do-it-himself method of
cutting his own ice, decided to study law. Without any forewarning of the
monumental proportions of the task he faced, James started to acquire
books on legal procedure and the law.

* * * * *

With the return of Tim and Janet Fisher matters progressed well. Mrs.
Fisher took over the running of the household; Tim continued his running
of