dream; the gloom of his cell
concealed his tears. He rubbed the fruit along his coat sleeve, as if to
make it shine, as a fruiterer polishes the apples in his stall.

"All right, Mother, I'm glad you brought them," he said, although there
was no gladness in his voice.

"I planned to fetch you in some fried chicken today, too," said she,
"but the pesky rooster I had under the tub got away when I went to take
him out. If you'd like some, Joe, I'll come back tomorrow."

"No, no; don't you tramp over here tomorrow, Mother," he admonished,
"and don't bother about the chicken. I don't seem to have any appetite
any more. But you wait till I'm out of here a day or two; then you'll
see me eat."

"Well, then I guess I'll be goin' on back, Joe; and bright and early
Monday morning I'll be on hand at the court. Maybe we'll be able to go
home together that evenin', son."

"Hammer says it will take two or three days," Joe told her, "but I don't
see what they can do to make it string out that long. I could tell them
all about it in ten minutes. So we mustn't put our hopes too high on
Monday, Mother."

"I'll beseech the Lord all day tomorrow, son, to open their ears that
they may hear," said she solemnly. "And when the time comes to speak
tell it all, Joe, tell it all!"

"Yes, Mother, when the time comes," said he gently.

"Tell 'em all Isom said to you, son," she charged.

"Don't you worry over that now, Mother."

She felt that her son drew away from her, in his haughty manner of
self-sufficiency, as he spoke. She sighed, shaking her head sadly.
"Well, I'll be rackin' off home," she said.

"If you stop at the colonel's to rest a while, Mother--and I wish you
would, for you're all tired out--you might hand this book back to Miss
Price. She loaned it to me. Tell her I read it long ago, and I'd have
sent it back before now, only I thought she might come after it herself
some time."

His mother turned to him, a curious expression in her face.

"Don't she come any more, Joe?"

"She's been busy with other things, I guess," said he.

"Maybe," she allowed, with a feeling of resentment against the book on
account of its cold, unfriendly owner.

She had almost reached the corridor gate when Joe called after her.

"No, don't tell her that," he requested. "Don't tell her anything. Just
hand it back, please, Mother."

"Whatever you say, Joe."

Joe heard the steel gate close after her and the sheriff's voice loud
above his m