uish himself. And so, with many knowing and confident nods and
hints, and with much deference to the two squires, he opened the case,
affecting great indignation at Ralph's wickedness, and uttering Delphic
hints about striped pants and shaven head, and the grating of
prison-doors at Jeffersonville.

"And, now, if the court please, I am about to call a witness whose
testimony is very important indeed. Mrs. Sarah Jane Means will please
step forward and be sworn."

This Mrs. Means did with alacrity. She had met the prosecutor, and
impressed him with her dark hints. She was sworn.

"Now, Mrs. Means, have the goodness to tell us what you know of the
robbery at the house of Peter Schroeder, and the part defendant had in
it."

"Well, you see, I allers suspected that air young man--"

Here Squire Underwood stopped her, and told her that she must not tell
her suspicions, but facts.

"Well, it's facts I am a-going to tell," she sniffed indignantly. "It's
facts that I mean to tell." Here her voice rose to a keen pitch, and she
began to abuse the defendant. Again and again the court insisted that
she must tell what there was suspicious about the school-master. At last
she got it out.

"Well, fer one thing, what kind of gals did he go with? Hey? Why, with
my bound gal, Hanner, a-loafin' along through the blue-grass paster at
ten o'clock, and keepin' that gal that's got no protector but me out
that a-way, and destroyin' her character by his company, that a'n't fit
fer nobody."

Here Bronson saw that he had caught a tartar. He said he had no more
questions to ask of Mrs. Means, and that, unless the defendant wished to
cross-question her, she could stand aside. Ralph said he would like to
ask her one question.

"Did I ever go with your daughter Miranda?"

"No, you didn't," answered the witness, with a tone and a toss of the
head that let the cat out, and set the court-room in a giggle. Bronson
saw that he was gaining nothing, and now resolved to follow the line
which Small had indicated.

Pete Jones was called, and swore point-blank that he heard Ralph go out
of the house soon after he went to bed, and that he heard him return at
two in the morning. This testimony was given without hesitation, and
made a great impression against Ralph in the minds of the justices. Mrs.
Jones, a poor, brow-beaten woman, came on the stand in a frightened way,
and swore to the same lies as her husband. Ralph cross-questioned her,
but her pa