d the unhappy man mopped his forehead with
his handkerchief.

"And ten thousand dollars will tide you over the trouble, do you
think?" Garton asked.

"I am sure of it."

"And what about your son? Will any of it go to him?"

"Not a cent. I am done with him as far as money matters are concerned.
He must look out for himself after this. I have been taught a severe
lesson."

"And suppose I do not get the money for you, what then?"

"I am ruined."

"Can you not get it elsewhere?"

"No, not that amount. I have tried and failed. Six thousand was the
best any one would do. I hope you can favour me, sir," and Stubbles
turned his eyes beseechingly upon the lawyer's face.

"It all depends upon my young friend here," Garton replied, "and that
is the reason why I have asked him to remain in the room."

"It depends upon him!" Stubbles exclaimed in astonishment, as he looked
toward Douglas. "I do not understand your meaning, sir."

"You know him, then?"

"Yes, I have met him several times. He is Jake Jukes' hired man, so I
understand."

"And he is the man you have been persecuting ever since he came to this
place. Why was that?"

"There was no persecution, I assure you," Stubbles hotly defended. "He
made himself most obnoxious to people in general, and for the welfare
of the community I ordered him to leave the parish."

"In what way did he make himself obnoxious?"

"He insulted my son one night at a quiet dance in the hall at the
Corner, and broke up the gathering."

"And what was your son doing? How did he behave that night? Did you
ever think of that?"

As Stubbles did not reply but dropped his eyes to the floor, Douglas
turned upon him.

"It was your son, Ben, who made the trouble that night, Mr. Stubbles,"
he charged. "He acted more like a beast than a human being, and
because I interfered and checked him, he started out to have revenge.
And how did he do it? In a manly way? Oh, no. He persuaded you to
order me from the place, and when I refused to obey, he set men to
waylay me at night along the road. He even gave the men liquor to
induce them to carry out his evil designs, and then at the trial he
blasphemously denied it all. And you," he added, turning to Squire
Hawkins, "allowed British justice to be perverted."

"Are you not afraid to make such a charge as that, young man?" the
Squire pompously asked. "Do you not already realise the danger you are
in from last night's affair? H