upon Thornton himself, and the accused gave back even glance
for even glance.

"Now I'm goin' ter give ye my side of hit," he began, though to give his
side in full justice he would have had to reveal a secret which he had
no intent of disclosing.

"My sister, Sally, married John Turk an' he abused her till she couldn't
endure hit no longer. Her pride was mighty high an' she'd hev cut her
tongue out afore she'd hev told her neighbours ther way she war
misused--but I knowed hit." As he paused his eyes darkened into sombre
memory. "I reasoned with John an' he blackguarded me, too, an' ferbid me
ter darken his door.... Deespite thet command I feared fer her life an'
I fared over thar ... I went in at ther door an' he war a-maltreatin'
her an' chokin' her. I railed out ... an' he hurt her wusser ... hit war
his life or her'n. Ef hit war all ter do over ergin I wouldn't act no
different." He paused again and no one offered a comment; so he resumed
his statement: "I hain't told ye all of hit, but I reckon thet's
enough. Thar warn't no witnesses ter holp me come cl'ar an' ther co'te
over thar wouldn't vouchsafe me no justice.... Hit's jedge b'longed ter
John Turk's kinfolks body an' soul ... so I come away."

"I reckon ye'd be plum daft ef ye didn't stay away," remarked the
Kentucky sheriff with a sharp and bellicose glance at his colleague from
another state. "Virginny officers hain't got no power of arrest in
Kaintuck."

The Virginian bit a trifle nervously from a twist of "natural leaf."

"Hit's my bounden duty, though," he declared, staunchly, "ter call on
_you_ ter arrest him an' hold him till I gits me them extradition papers
from Frankfort--an' then hit's _yore_ bounden duty ter fotch him ter
ther state line an' deliver him over ter me."

"I'm ther man thet decides what my duty is," came the swift retort, and
Thornton raised a hand to quell incipient argument.

"Thet hain't ther p'int, men," he reminded them. "Ther law kin reach in
an' take me out finally. We all knows thet--onless I forsook my home
hyar an' lived a refugee, hidin' out. Atter they once diskivered whar I
was, I mout jest es well be thar es hyar."

"Ther boy's right," ruled Hump Doane, judicially. "A man kain't beat
ther law in ther long run." Then the cripple wheeled on the sheriff.

"Mr. Beaver," he said, "we hain't got no quarrel with ye fer doin' yore
plain duty, but whether ye calls this man a criminal over thar in
Virginny or not we knows