Part 57 (1/2)

”Look that over!” he said and handed it to the lawyer.

Professor Young took the paper, and before reading it, looked rea.s.suringly at Tess with that wide, white-toothed smile of his that always cheered her heart.

”Sit down,” he told her. ”You do look tired, child.”

With one swift glance at Waldstricker's face, she obeyed him.

Deforrest merely glanced at the paper in his hand.

”Oh, is that all you have?” he asked the constable.

”Yes, sir,” the officer replied obsequiously.

”You're sure you haven't anything else?”

”Quite sure, sir,” was the answer.

”That being the case,” said Deforrest, quietly, ”I'll match it with--with this.”

He drew from his pocket another paper which he tendered the officer.

After the man scanned it, he handed it without a word to Waldstricker.

The elder in his turn read it through. It was an order from the court recalling the warrant obtained by Ebenezer Waldstricker for Tessibel Skinner's arrest. The constable grinned sheepishly at Waldstricker.

”I guess that ends my usefulness here,” he said, smiling admiringly at Professor Young. ”Good afternoon, miss! Goodday, gentlemen!”

Waldstricker, murder in his heart, took one stride toward Young, as the door closed behind the departing man.

”How'd you find out this was to happen today?” he gritted through his teeth. ”I insist upon knowing.”

”A little bird told me,” grinned Professor Young. Then, glancing at Tess, and seeing how white she was, there rose within him a righteous indignation, and he went on, ”You might employ your time to better advantage than torturing--”

For a moment he didn't know what to call Tessibel. She was no longer a child, no longer a little girl, although she looked deplorably young and sick as she sat huddled in the chair.

”Tormenting women,” he finished, sharply. ”And, Ebenezer, unless you want to make an enemy of me, you better let Tess alone. You can't do anything to harm her, for I won't let you. I may as well tell you, too, that the day after her father's death I const.i.tuted myself her guardian, and I'll move Heaven and earth to prevent any one harming her. Just remember that when you plot against her next time.... Now go home and forget there are such people as squatters.... You'll be happier, and so will I.”

”Deforrest,” Waldstricker appealed, changing his belligerent tactics, ”if you keep this thing up, you'll rue it! You know very well Bishop is hidden somewhere in this squatter settlement. I can only get him by rooting his people out one by one; if you'll have that court order rescinded and let me send the girl away, I'll make it possible for you to run for Governor next fall.”

For one minute, the lawyer surveyed Waldstricker critically. He reached one hand toward Tess. She got to her feet, grasping his fingers with hers.

”Ebenezer,” Young said with great deliberation, ”if I crawled across this girl's body into the Governor's chair, I'd be the basest cur alive.

And furthermore, you promise too much! You can't deliver the goods!

What! _You_ name the next Governor! Why you can't even remove this little squatter girl from her lonely hut!”

Waldstricker shrank from the scorn in his brother-in-law's voice, opened the door and strode out.

”Tess,” Deforrest said, putting an arm around her, ”when are you going to let me take you away from such things as this? I shudder to think what might have happened if I hadn't come today, and I've got to go away again.”

Tess smiled up at the big man. Drawing herself erect and lifting her head proudly, she looked into his face, exultantly, full of buoyant joy at the tremendous proof of Love's protecting power in the hour of her great need.