ge Baxter,
who was following him, spoke.

"Sit right here, Captain," he said. "Make yourself as comfortable as you
can. We shan't be long."

For an instant Shadrach remained where he was. Then he, too, sprang to
his feet. He overtook the lawyer just as the latter reached the side
door.

"Hello, Captain," exclaimed Baxter, "changed your mind?"

"Changed nothin'. Zoeth's makin' a fool of himself and I know it, but he
ain't goin' to be a fool ALL by himself. I've seen him try it afore and
'tain't safe."

"What do you mean?"

The Captain grunted scornfully.

"I mean there's safety in numbers, whether it's the number of fools or
anything else," he said. "One idiot's a risky proposition, but two
or three in a bunch can watch each other. Come on, Judge, and be the
third."

CHAPTER III

The white house on Phinney's Hill looked desolate and mournful when
the buggy containing Judge Baxter and his two companions drove into the
yard. The wagon belonging to Mr. Hallett, the undertaker, was at the
front door, and Hallett and his assistant were loading in the folding
chairs. Mr. Hallett was whistling a popular melody, but, somehow or
other, the music only emphasized the lonesomeness. There is little cheer
in an undertaker's whistle.

Captain Gould, acting under the Judge's orders, piloted his horse up the
driveway and into the back yard. The animal was made fast to the back
fence and the three men alighted from the buggy and walked up to the
side door of the house.

"Say, Judge," whispered the Captain, as they halted by the step, "you
don't cal'late I can find out who loaded up that music-box chair on me,
do you? If I could meet that feller for two or three minutes I might
feel more reconciled at bein' fool enough to come over here."

Mrs. Hobbs answered the knock at the door--she invited them in. When
told that they had come to see Mary-'Gusta she sniffed.

"She's in her room," she said, rather sharply. "She hadn't ought to be
let out, but of course if you want to see her, Judge Baxter, I presume
likely she'll have to be. I'll go fetch her."

"Wait a minute, Mrs. Hobbs," said Baxter. "What's the matter? Has the
child been behaving badly?"

Mrs. Hobbs' lean fingers clinched. "Behavin' badly!" she repeated. "I
should say she had! I never was so mortified in my life. And at her own
father's funeral, too!"

"What has she done?"

"Done? She--" Mrs. Hobbs hesitated, glanced at Captain Shadrach, and
left her