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"You see her, Ab, an' git her on our side. She can do more with her pappy than anybody else."

Abner agreed to this. Mrs. Sandage flung her arms about his neck, said he was a good boy, and sent him on his mission.

Filled with a kind of uncertain ardour, Abner set out for Adelaide's home when he heard a motor signal. He glanced behind him and saw the girl in her yellow roadster. She said she had been running around town looking for him, intent on a drive. A qualm went through Abner's heart as he climbed in beside his sweetheart. Suppose she should become angry at his interference in her father's affairs.

The girl glanced about at him in her driving.

"How's your head?" she asked gently.

Abner became aware of his bandages.

"It's getting easy." He touched her arm with his good hand. "Adelaide, I wonder if you'd he'p me git your pappy to do something for me?"

The girl looked around from her driving with soft eyes. "Oh, I will. What is it? Doesn't he want to?"

"I don't think he does—much."

"Of course, it's to get Jim out," she understood.

"Yes." Then Abner unfolded the whole of Mrs. Sandage's plan.

Adelaide pondered in silence with the cold wind beating their faces.

"I'll tell you this about Daddy, dear. You and I don't at all understand what he's doing. Neither does Jim nor anybody else. I wish we would all obey, like soldiers do their general. He reminds me of those old barons you read about in the Middle Ages. It seems to me Lanesburg is his city and the jail his donjon—lots of times he has niggers put in there if they try to run away from his places. That's exactly the way the old barons did the peasants. It's funny, isn't it—a nigger can work for Dad year after year, just as hard as he can hit it; then, if he finally gives up and wants to go away, he can't go—he owes Dad too much!"