any reasons; but I'm an
officer over here and I'm no more afraid of you"--Hale paused to let
that fact sink in and it did--"than you are of me. Dave's been selling
liquor."

"He hain't," interrupted the old mountaineer. "He didn't bring that
liquor over hyeh. I know who done it."

"All right," said Hale; "I'll take your word for it and I'll let him
out, if you say so, but---"

"Right now," thundered old Judd.

"Do you know that young Buck Falin and a dozen of his gang are over here
after him?" The old man looked stunned.

"Whut--now?"

"They're over there in the woods across the river NOW and they want me
to give him up to them. They say they have the sheriff with them and
they want him for shooting a man on Leatherwood Creek, day before
yesterday."

"It's all a lie," burst out old Judd. "They want to kill him."

"Of course--and I was going to take him up to the county jail right away
for safe-keeping."

"D'ye mean to say you'd throw that boy into jail and then fight them
Falins to pertect him?" the old man asked slowly and incredulously. Hale
pointed to a two-store building through his window.

"If you get in the back part of that store at a window, you can see
whether I will or not. I can summon you to help, and if a fight comes up
you can do your share from the window."

The old man's eyes lighted up like a leaping flame.

"Will you let Dave out and give him a Winchester and help us fight 'em?"
he said eagerly. "We three can whip 'em all."

"No," said Hale shortly. "I'd try to keep both sides from fighting, and
I'd arrest Dave or you as quickly as I would a Falin."

The average mountaineer has little conception of duty in the abstract,
but old Judd belonged to the better class--and there are many of
them--that does. He looked into Hale's eyes long and steadily.

"All right."

Macfarlan came in hurriedly and stopped short--seeing the hatted,
bearded giant.

"This is Mr. Tolliver--an uncle of Dave's--Judd Tolliver," said Hale.
"Go ahead."

"I've got everything fixed--but I couldn't get but five of the
fellows--two of the Berkley boys. They wouldn't let me tell Bob."

"All right. Can I summon Mr. Tolliver here?"

"Yes," said Macfarlan doubtfully, "but you know---"

"He won't be seen," interrupted Hale, understandingly. "He'll be at a
window in the back of that store and he won't take part unless a fight
begins, and if it does, we'll need him."

An hour later Devil Judd Tolliver was in the s