n out of the
tree, and got the pistol, and ran. And so I kept the pistol for a few
days; but I got worried havin' it around, so I put it in a cigar box
and went out to Montgomery's woods and buried it."

"And is this pistol you produced here, the same pistol you picked up,
and buried?"

"Yes."

"That's all," said my pa.

Then the judge said, "We'll suspend here for a little while." Mitch
started to leave the witness chair, but the judge said, "No, you must
stay where you are. You stand by him, Mr. Sheriff."

Then there was a kind of noise of the people in the room changin' their
seats and talkin'. And the word went around that Mrs. Rainey had died.

CHAPTER XXIII

That's what had happened. She had died. Her heart went back on her. But
my pa said they kept it away from the jury. And Mitch kept sittin' there
lookin' pretty tired. The jury wasn't allowed to leave; but just sat
there. And they passed 'em water. And the judge had gone out, probably
to see Mrs. Rainey. My pa went too, and Major Abbott. Then they all came
back together, and the judge got on the bench, and said to go on.

Major Abbott stood up and took off his nose glasses and began to kind of
shake 'em with his hand, and he looked at Mitch, and Mitch looked at
him, kind of scared, I thought. And then Major Abbott began.

"When did you first tell this story you've just told here?"

"Never before," says Mitch.

"Did you talk to the State's Attorney about it?"

"Yes, sir."

"When?"

"This noon."

"Then you did tell it before you told it here."

"Yes, sir."

"What made you say you'd never told it before, Mitchie?"

"I thought you meant in any court."

"Did you tell it to any one before you told it to the State's
Attorney?"

"Yes, sir."

"Who?"

"My pa."

"When?"

[Illustration: Major Abbott Cross-examining Mitch]

"This morning."

"Uh, huh. And did you tell it to any one else?'

"No, sir."

"At no time?"

"No, sir."

"At no time between the night that Joe Rainey was killed and until you
told your father this morning?"

"No, sir."

"Why did you keep it to yourself?"

"For a lot of reasons."

"Didn't you know it was your duty under the law to tell what you claimed
to know?"

"I kind of thought so."

"So then you were neglecting your duty and knew that you were?"

"Maybe so."

"And didn't you know that when a case is tried, the witnesses for one
side are all heard together, and then the witnesses for th