atin' his breakfus'. I run
erlong erhead."

Stoneman's face was a thundercloud as he scrambled to his feet and glared
at Aleck:

"_Marse_ Ben? Did you say _Marse_ Ben? Who's he?"

Aleck bowed low again.

"De young Colonel, sah--Marse Ben Cameron."

"And you the sheriff of this county trotted along in front to make the way
smooth for your prisoner?"

"Yessah!"

"Is that the way you escort prisoners before a court?"

"Dem kin' er prisoners--yessah."

"Why didn't you walk beside him?"

Aleck grinned from ear to ear and bowed very low:

"He say sumfin' to me, sah!"

"And what did he say?"

Aleck shook his head and laughed:

"I hates ter insinuate ter de cote, sah!"

"What did he say to you?" thundered Stoneman.

"He say--he say--ef I walk 'longside er him--he knock hell outen me,
sah!"

"Indeed."

"Yessah, en I 'spec' he would," said Aleck insinuatingly. "La, he's a
gemman, sah, he is! He tell me he come right on. He be here sho'."

Stoneman whispered to Lynch, turned with a look of contempt to Aleck, and
said:

"Mr. Sheriff, you interest me. Will you be kind enough to explain to this
court what has happened to you lately to so miraculously change your
manners?"

Aleck glanced around the room nervously.

"I seed sumfin'--a vision, sah!"

"A vision? Are you given to visions?"

"Na-sah. Dis yere wuz er sho' 'nuff vision! I wuz er feelin' bad all day
yistiddy. Soon in de mawnin', ez I wuz gwine 'long de road, I see a big
black bird er settin' on de fence. He flop his wings, look right at me en
say, 'Corpse! Corpse! Corpse!'"--Aleck's voice dropped to a whisper--"'en
las' night de Ku Kluxes come ter see me, sah!"

Stoneman lifted his beetling brows.

"That's interesting. We are searching for information on that subject."

"Yessah! Dey wuz Sperits, ridin' white hosses wid flowin' white robes, en
big blood-red eyes! De hosses wuz twenty feet high, en some er de Sperits
wuz higher dan dis cote-house! Dey wuz all bal' headed, 'cept right on de
top whar dere wuz er straight blaze er fire shot up in de air ten foot
high!"

"What did they say to you?"

"Dey say dat ef I didn't design de sheriff's office, go back ter farmin'
en behave myself, dey had er job waitin' fer me in hell, sah. En shos' you
born dey wuz right from dar!"

"Of course!" sneered the old Commoner.

"Yessah! Hit's des lak I tell yer. One ob 'em makes me fetch 'im er drink
er water. I carry two bucketsful ter 'im 'fo' I git