sides he had been very busy that week, so many men
interviewing him when he was at home--Mr. Dingley, and others who were
not elegant, but very businesslike--that I hardly saw him except at
meals. Once or twice I had caught him, when he thought I wasn't
looking, watching me with an anxious and harassed expression; but most
of the time he was preoccupied.

On the morning of the fourth day after the shooting, as I sat at
breakfast, I took up the paper and read that the trial of the People
Versus John Montgomery was set for the last week of May. I glanced
down the column and a sentence caught my eye. "It is said the
prosecution is in possession of sensational evidence which will
materially affect the aspect of the case." I sat for some minutes with
the paper in my hand, listening to it rustle, gathering my courage.

"Father," I finally said, "do you think that Mr. Montgomery is really
wicked?"

He looked over at me with that smile of his which is most serious. "My
dear child, I am not Almighty God."

"But you know what I mean," I protested. "The papers have been saying
such nice things about Mr. Rood, but you yourself once said he was an
'insidious and pernicious influence in the community'; and the papers
are printing such dreadful things about Johnny Montgomery! They are
telling all sorts of stories about him--that he has been in shooting
scrapes and dishonorable business deals, and--and horrible things," I
ended rather uncertainly.

"Oh, no doubt he hasn't been such a bad fellow," father said, passing
his cup for coffee. "As far as his land operations are concerned, I
know for a fact that the 'dishonorable dealing' the _Bulletin_ talks
about was all on the side of the men who got his money. But you see he
would go into the deal in spite of the advice of the executor of the
estate, antagonized all his father's friends--plucked the Roman
senators by the beards, as it were;--so of course they were ready to
believe the worst of him. Then he went badly into debt, and
accumulated too many creditors to be popular. But Rood, you see,
always had money, always kept his escapades quiet, and was very liberal
to the city. He has given a deal to different public institutions.
They can't do otherwise than praise him."

He took up his letters and began to open them with a paper-knife.

"But," I said, "they say Mr. Montgomery has been engaged to a girl for
her money."

Father threw back his head and laughed--I can