.

"We went to ther legislature every day, expectin' trouble," he declared,
with a full-voiced boastfulness. "And we were ready to weed out the
Democratic leaders when it started."

"To what purpose was all that planned?" purred the examining lawyer, and
the response capped it with prompt assurance:

"The object was to have a Republican majority before we got through
shooting."

"And you were willing to do your part?"

Virtuously boomed the reply: "If it was in fair battle, I was willin',
yes, sir."

Saul particularized. He recounted that he had himself nominated Asa as a
dependable gun-fighter, and that on the day of the tragedy he had met
Asa on the streets of Frankfort. Asa, he asserted, had brazenly
displayed a pocketful of cartridges.

"He said to me," proceeded the witness; "'Them ca'tridges comes out of a
lot thet's done made hist'ry. Whenever I looks over ther sights of a
rifle-gun, I gits me either money or meat, an' this time I've done got
me both.'"

Boone Wellver had been leaning tensely forward in his seat as he
listened. Here at last, to his own knowledge, the words that were
cementing his kinsman's doom were utterly and viciously false. He had
been a witness to that meeting, and it had been Saul and not Asa who had
seen danger in the possession of cartridges. It had been Saul, too, who
had excitedly instructed him to destroy the evidence.

But Saul continued glibly: "Asa had done named ter me, back thar in ther
mountains, thet he reckoned him an' ther Governor could swap favours. So
when we met up that day in Frankfort, he said, 'Me an' ther Big Man, we
got tergether an' done a leetle business.'"

The courtroom was tensely, electrically silent, when a boy rose out of
his chair, and with the suddenness of a bursting shell shrilled out in
defiance:

"Thet's a damn lie, Saul, an' ye knows hit! I was right thar an--!" The
instant clatter of the Judge's gavel and the staccato outbreak of the
Judge's voice interrupted the interruption. "Silence! Mr. Sheriff, bring
that disturber before the Court."

Still trembling with white-hot indignation, Boone was led forward with
the sheriff's hand on his shoulder, until he stood under the stern
questioning of eyes looking down from the bench.

But instantly, too, Colonel Wallifarro's smoothly controlled voice was
addressing the Court: "May it please your Honour, before you punish this
boy I should like to offer a word or two of explanation."

So Boone d