"Any man thet charges me with blasphemin' lies! Brother Fulkerson hes
done toiled his life away amongst ye--an' ye skeercely heeds his
preachin'. I believes these fellers thet calls themselves God's
sarvents ter be false prophets. Instid of the light of knowledge, they
offers ye ther smoke of ign'rance. They hev 'lowed thet they kin work
miracles. Ef they kin, why don't they? Ef they kain't they lies an'
sich a lie as thet air blasphemy. I called on 'em ter make good thar
brag--an' now I calls on 'em ergin! Let's see a miracle."

He ended and, as the voice of the crowd rose once more, this time a
shade less unanimous in tone, a strange thing happened. About Bear Cat
Stacy and the town marshal appeared a little knot of rifle-armed men,
and coming to their front, Kinnard Towers bellowed:

"Men! Listen!"

They looked at his face and his guns--and listened.

"I was standin' whar I could see this whole matter," asserted Towers.
"Bear Cat Stacy never drawed nor fired no weepin. My friend Tom
Carmichael shot Ratler Webb in _dee_fense of his life. Ratler shot a
shoot, too. I counsels ther town marshal not ter jail Bear Cat Stacy,
an' I counsels ther rest of ye ter settle down ergin ter quiet. Mebby
Bear Cat oughtn't ter hev interrupted ther preachin', but whoever aims
ter harm him must needs take him away from me!"

Over the sea of faces ran a wave of amazement sounding out in a
prolonged murmur. Here was the incredible situation of a Towers leader
vouching for and protecting a Stacy chieftain. Feudal blood tingled
with the drama of that realization.

Varied excitements were breaking the drab monotony of life to-day for
Marlin Town! A voice shouted, "I reckon Ratler needs a leetle shootin'
anyhow," and the sally was greeted with laughter. The tide had turned.

On Bear Cat's face, though, as he wheeled to his powerful rescuer was a
mingling of emotions; surprise blended with a frown of unwillingly
incurred obligation.

"I'm obleeged ter ye, Kinnard Towers," he said dubiously, "but I reckon
I could hev keered fer myself. I hain't seekin' ter be beholden ter
ye."

The florid man laughed. "Ye hain't none beholden ter me, son," was his
hearty disclaimer. "A man likes ter testify ter ther truth when he sees
somebody falsely accused, thet's all."

Brother Fulkerson and his daughter started back to Little Slippery that
same evening, meaning to spend the night with friends a few miles from
town. After bidding them farewell