his."

"'Give me my principal and let me go,'" quoted Jim in mockery.

"I can't do that, Mr. Hannington. Sorry," said the editor, "but if you
decline to prosecute, the money goes to Mr. Langford."

"Then, by gad!" cried Hannington, "I shall prosecute to the utmost
deuced rigour of the bally law, and be-dimned to him. You cawn't fool
lightly with a DeRue Hannington,--no sirs!

"I'll have you understand we DeRue Hanningtons are fighters. My
great-great-grandfathers both fought at Waterloo, DeRue on the side of
the French and Hannington on the side of the British,--yes, sirs!"

"I'm thinking maybe that explains why you are not quite sure now
whether you are the prosecutor or the prosecuted," pawkily remarked
Jim.

Hannington glared, grabbed up the telephone and called for the police
station. As usual, Palmer was up on his ranch, and Hannington had to
be contented with Howden, the deputy, who got over to the _Advertiser_
office almost immediately and, in a very short space of time
afterwards, he had the not unwilling Jim safely locked up for the
night in the town jail.

Howden, to save himself a little labour--ostensibly for the sake of
his friendship with Jim, but really to leave himself free for his
evening's amours with a waitress at the Kenora--offered to allow Jim
to go home if he would promise to show up at the Court in the morning,
but Jim was too fond of experience and too susceptible of melodrama to
pass up so golden an opportunity;--he refused to give his parole and
in consequence slept soundly and innocently on a little camp bed, in a
ten by five cell, at the expense of the municipality.

As soon as the news got about--which it did with astounding
rapidity--the entire town was in a fit of merriment over the latest
exploit of the wily Langford and the discomfiture of DeRue Hannington;
and early the following morning, when the local police magistrate was
still negotiating his matutinal egg, the little Courtroom was packed
to overflowing.

Phil called off work for an hour or two in order to be on hand should
Jim require his aid in any way.

The voluminous and cheerful judge disposed of a case of petty thieving
in quick time, then called the case against James Langford for cruelty
to animals and destruction of property.

When Jim appeared--his eyes twinkling, but his face as solemn as a
parish minister at the funeral of a wealthy and generous member of his
congregation, a muffled cheer broke out, which