me back, Harry was with him. I saw by his nod, and "How
are you, girls," how he wished us to take it, so neither moved from our
chairs, while he sat down on the sofa and asked what kind of a sermon
we had had. And we talked of anything except what we were thinking of,
until we went upstairs.

Hal afterwards told me that he had been arrested up there, and father
went with him to give bail; and that the sheriff had gone out to
Greenwell after Mr. Sparks. He told me all about it next morning,
saying he was glad it was all over, but sorry for Mr. Sparks; for he
had a blow on his face which nothing would wash out. I said, "Hal, if
you _had_ fought, much as I love you, I would rather he had killed you
than that you should have killed him. I love you too much to be willing
to see blood on your hands." First he laughed at me, then said, "If I
had killed him, I never would have seen you again."

We thought it was all over; so did he. But Baton Rouge was wild about
it. Mr. Sparks was the bully of the town, having nothing else to do,
and whenever he got angry or drunk, would knock down anybody he chose.
That same night, before Harry met him, he had slapped one man, and had
dragged another over the room by the hair; but these coolly went home,
and waited for a _voluntary apology_. So the mothers, sisters, and
intimate friends of those who had patiently borne the blows, and being
"woolled," vaunted the example of their heroes, and asked why Dr.
Morgan had not acted as _they_ had done, and waited for an apology?
Then there was another faction who cried only blood could wash out that
blow and make a gentleman of Mr. Sparks again,--as though he ever _had_
been one! So knots assembled at street corners, and discussed it, until
father said to us that Monday night, "These people are so excited, and
are trying so hard to make this affair worse, that I would not be
surprised if they shot each other down in the street," speaking of
Harry and the other.

Hal seemed to think of it no more, though, and Wednesday said he must
go to the city and consult Brother as to where he should permanently
establish himself. I was sorry; yet glad that he would then get away
from all this trouble. I don't know that I ever saw him in higher
spirits than he was that day and evening, the 24th. Lilly and Charlie
were here until late, and he laughed and talked so incessantly that we
called him crazy. We might have guessed by his extravagant spirits that
he was