e went to sea again and made considerable, and then he made a
whole lot in stocks. I know he did. You know it, too, Zoeth. How could
he be poor?"

"Because, like so many other fortunate speculators, he continued to
speculate and became unfortunate. He lost the bulk of his winnings in
the stock market and--well, to be quite frank, Captain Hall has been a
broken man, mentally as well as physically, since his wife's death and
his own serious illness. You, yourselves, must have noticed the change
in his habits. From being an active man, a man of affairs, he became
almost a hermit. He saw but few people, dropped the society of all his
old friends, and lived alone--alone except for his various housekeepers
and Mary-'Gusta--the little girl, I mean. You must have noticed the
change in his relations with you."

Mr. Hamilton sighed. "Yes," he said, "we noticed he never came to see us
and--and--"

"And wasn't over'n above sociable when we come to see him," finished
Captain Shadrach. "Yes, we noticed that. But I say, Judge, he must have
had SOME money left. What became of it?"

"Goodness knows! He was a child, so far as money matters went, in his
later years. Very likely he frittered it away in more stock ventures; I
know he bought a lot of good for nothing mining shares. At any rate it
has gone, all except a few thousands. The house and land where he lived
is mortgaged up to the handle, and I imagine there are debts, a good
many of them. But whatever there is is left to Mary-'Gusta--everyone
calls her that and I seem to have caught the habit. It is left to
her--in trust."

Captain Shadrach thought this over. "In trust with you, I presume
likely," he observed. "Well, as I said afore, he couldn't have found a
better man."

"HE thought he could, two better men. I rather think he was right. You
are the two, gentlemen."

This statement did not have the effect which the Judge expected. He
expected exclamations and protests. Instead his visitors looked at each
other and at him in a puzzled fashion.

"Er--er--what was that?" queried Mr. Hamilton. "I didn't exactly seem to
catch that, somehow or 'nother."

Judge Baxter turned to the Captain.

"You understood me, didn't you, Captain Gould?" he asked.

Shadrach shook his head.

"Why--why, no," he stammered; "it didn't seem to soak in, somehow.
Cal'late my head must have stopped goin'; maybe the shock I had a spell
ago broke the mainspring. All I seem to be real sartin of just