s. Williams said hoarsely "She wants to talk
to you, too. She CAN'T talk much--she's hysterical. She says they lured
Georgie into the cellar and had him beaten by negroes! That's not all--"

Mr. Williams was already on his way.

"You find Sam!" he commanded, over his shoulder.

Mrs. Williams stepped into the front hall. "Sam!" she called, addressing
the upper reaches of the stairway. "Sam!"

Not even echo answered.

"SAM!"

A faint clearing of somebody's throat was heard behind her, a sound so
modest and unobtrusive it was no more than just audible, and, turning,
the mother beheld her son sitting upon the floor in the shadow of the
stairs and gazing meditatively at the hatrack. His manner indicated that
he wished to produce the impression that he had been sitting there, in
this somewhat unusual place and occupation, for a considerable time, but
without overhearing anything that went on in the library so close by.

"Sam," she cried, "what have you DONE?"

"Well--I guess my legs are all right," he said gently. "I got the arnica
on, so probably they won't hurt any m--"

"Stand up!" she said.

"Ma'am?"

"March into the library!"

Sam marched--slow-time. In fact, no funeral march has been composed in
a time so slow as to suit this march of Sam's. One might have suspected
that he was in a state of apprehension.

Mr. Williams entered at one door as his son crossed the threshold of the
other, and this encounter was a piteous sight. After one glance at his
father's face, Sam turned desperately, as if to flee outright. But Mrs.
Williams stood in the doorway behind him.

"You come here!" And the father's voice was as terrible as his face.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO GEORGIE BASSETT?"

"Nothin'," Sam gulped; "nothin' at all."

"What!"

"We just--we just 'nishiated him."

Mr. Williams turned abruptly, walked to the fireplace, and there turned
again, facing the wretched Sam. "That's all you did?"

"Yes, sir."

"Georgie Bassett's mother has just told me over the telephone," Mr.
Williams said, deliberately, "that you and Penrod Schofield and Roderick
Bitts and Maurice Levy LURED GEORGIE INTO THE CELLAR AND HAD HIM BEATEN
BY NEGROES!"

At this, Sam was able to hold up his head a little and to summon a
rather feeble indignation.

"It ain't so," he declared. "We didn't any such thing lower him into the
cellar. We weren't goin' NEAR the cellar with him. We never THOUGHT of
goin' down cellar. He went down there himself