and found that he had disappeared."

"What's his name?" said my pa real quick.

"His name," said Major Abbott in a deep voice and very calm, "is Harold
Carman." That was the man who was takin' the part of one of the sailors
in "Pinafore"; and sure enough he had disappeared and no one knew where.

So Major Abbott sat down in a satisfied way. Mitch says, "Why don't
Temple Scott go on and tell that Joe Rainey shot at him?" "He don't have
to," says I; "pa says no man has to testify against hisself, and you
can't criticize him for it."

"Against hisself," said Mitch. "Why if he, Joe Rainey, shot at him
first, he'd be testifyin' for hisself, and not against hisself. He
darn't testify," says Mitch. "It's a lie. Joe Rainey didn't shoot at
him. I can just see right through this case."

I believed Mitch, for besides everything else, he was the smartest boy I
ever knew.

Then the judge asked pa--"Any rebuttal?" And pa says, "Just a few
things, your honor, but it's now ten minutes to twelve, and near
adjournin' time, and if your honor will indulge me, I'd like to have
court adjourn now till one o'clock."

So the court said very well, and Sheriff Rutledge adjourned the court,
and all the people began to go out.

And then I see for the first time that mornin' that Mr. Miller was in
the court room. He rose up as my pa came down the aisle and spoke to
him, and they walked away together and up the hill, goin' home together
with Mitch and me follerin'. When we got to our house pa says, "I'm
goin' up to Mr. Miller's for dinner, you tell your ma." And they all
went away together, Mr. Miller, my pa, and Mitch.

CHAPTER XXII

I got back to the court room about ten minutes to one and only a few was
there. It was awful interestin' now, and I couldn't keep away or hardly
wait for the next thing. Pretty soon Mitch came in and set by me. His
hair was combed slick, and he acted terribly quiet. Then the judge came
and my pa and court was opened. Pretty soon Mr. Miller came in and sat
with Mitch and me and after a while Mrs. Miller, who hadn't been there
before, and my ma was with her. The court room was so full you couldn't
breathe.

Then my pa got up and began to talk and he said he had some evidence
which was competent, but needed to be explained first to the judge, and
he thought they'd better go into the judge's room and talk about it
first. So the judge, my pa, and Major Abbott went to the judge's room
and closed the door