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Show J2. CLARK MMEEKIN . M. d " 8 match to a bonfire, didn't 11 vvhat happens i.ext, Ben Tav-ner?" Tav-ner?" The Judge frowned. "This court accepts the responsibility of disposes dispos-es of a valuable piece of horseflesh." horse-flesh." Lark was on her feet instantly. Judge Tavner," she said, "Gait W;the and I had every firm intention of returning the horse to Squire Jar-rod Jar-rod Terraine. We love Red Raskall dearly and can not accept Mr. Dawes' claim. All of you heard him, just now, threaten to put him behind a plow! Why Red Raskall's a thoroughbred! If you could get in touch with Mr. Terraine in Kentucky" Ken-tucky" Judge Tavner said formally, "Miss Shannon, it has been clearly shown by Mr. Dawes that Squire Terraine, by a very reckless written writ-ten agreement, has forfeited all his possessions. Whatever may have been his spoken intentions as to his slaves and horses, this agreement, held by Mr. Dawes does give him claim to the horse you found, and the court must recognize it as such." "Just a minute, please, Judge." Minnie was on her feet again. "What about them 'finders-keepers' laws? Why wouldn't they come into this case?" "I assume you mean the Maritime Mari-time Salvage Laws. Minnie. This court does have Admiralty Rights which I think are clearly applicable here. When we have finished hearing hear-ing both sides of the case I have THE STORY THUS FAR. While voyas-Ing voyas-Ing from England to America, Lark Shan oon's ship foes down. She Is saved bv Gait Withe, a bound servant, but rn.de prisoner at the Inn to which he takes her She escapes, and Is tound by her ,weet heart, David North, who Is disguised as a flpsy to get a line on Dr. Matson, a slave pirate. Lark and Gait tall Into the bands of Dr. Matson, but escape at night, and finally arrive in Norfolk where Lark expects to meet David. She meets him at a state fair, with Mara Mastlngs, to whom she understands he la engaged. At the fair Lark rides Red Raskall In a race the horse she had managed to hobble after the shipwreck, and wins the race. Dr. Matson Is at the fair, a prisoner. CHAPTER XX Minnie said, "Damn your mean I little stinking soul, Plascutt j Dawes," and then, with great com-j com-j posure and good nature, paid out the fine which the judge imposed for contempt of court. "It was worth It," she said loudly, "cheap at double dou-ble the price!" She winked at Lark ; and squeezed bick Into her arm chair. For a moment there was general laughter, and the judge had to rap again for attention. "I'm not done with you yet, Miss Buxtree," Plascutt's lawyer said severely, se-verely, and Minnie, with a gusty sigh heaved herself again to her feet. She was enjoying herself thoroughly and had engaged the sympathy of the court room. That was very plain. The lawyer consulted his client for a moment and then said, "Miss Shannon did want to collect the reward re-ward money, didn't she? She was , eager and greedy for that, I have ! been told." "Greedy for that!" Minnie mimicked mim-icked his tone to perfection. "And ; who, on God's green earth, if they'd ; lost every stick and stitch of their possessions in a shipwreck, wouldn't be glad enough to collect a just debt due them? I wish you, yourself, your-self, had been through that God- i awful storm and that wreck, Mister, ( do wish It now!" Minnie played her trump card DOW. "How many Greatways slaves you got now, Mr. Dawes? How many horses? Maybe it's slipped your mind that that detail was very clearly clear-ly stated by Mr. Terraine. He said, 'so help me, I'll bet all my possessions, posses-sions, saving my daughter, my slaves, and my horse-flesh, on this race between Lancer and Thunder Boy.' Lancer and Thunder Boy, mind you. Them two horses was the imported im-ported racers in the original bet. Later, when Mr. Terraine an' all the rest of us thought that Lancer had gone down aboard the Tempore, Tem-pore, Mr. Terraine picked up a fur-rin fur-rin horse named Black Jig, an' Mr. j Dawes put the screws on Mr. Terraine Ter-raine and forced him to follow this same bet through, against his own better Judgment and that of the country-side, since 'twas a well-known well-known fack that Black Jig was an unsound beast!" citement. "That's what it do mean, don't it?" "Under the somewhat peculiar circumstances, cir-cumstances, and in view of the fact that Jarrod Terraine is certainly not able to reimburse her for the horse, I should opine, and do hereby decree, de-cree, that since the horse was clearly clear-ly his at the time of the wreck which preceded the race, It now belongs be-longs to Lark Shannon, to have and to hold, as her true and indisputable possession, in the sight of all men." The court room rang with applause ap-plause as Lark rose-to her feet and bowed. Sherry Farrington smiled across at her and her grandmother sent a message that a week from today to-day she would come calling. When the crowd had melted away after many congratulations LarkL said, "Oh, Gait, he's ours. Really ours, now!" The scarlet leaves danced and whirled on the floor of the turn pike. Lark had closed the shutters of the toll-gate house and locked them tight against the prying wind. She had lit a Are of pine chips and filled the blue stoneware bowls with bittersweet and Michaelmas daisies. The simple furniture was scrubbed and oiled, the pewter I shined and the cups and napkins were laid out. . . . And it was only nine o'clock in the morning. Seven hours before Madame Farrington could possibly come to call! Cupsie was churning in the dairy shed. She called. "Buttah done come, Miss Lark, you tole me say so when buttah comes." Lark laid aside the bowl of frost-sweetened frost-sweetened fox grapes she was picking pick-ing over, and went through the dogtrot dog-trot from the kitchen to the shed. The boards here were white from scrubbing, clean-smelling and pungent pun-gent with the faint fragrant sourness of butter-cream. "See. honey?" Cupsie pulled up the long wooden dasher, with its blue-white patterns lacing its smooth brown length. Clusters of butter flakes clung to the plunger in gran-; gran-; ules and rosettes. "Don't churn so fast, Cupsie, you're slopping the cream out!" j 'Yas'm." Cupsie looked out of the big square window to the ten-acre I lot where her newest swain was , turning over the lumps of rich brown j Virginia loam. The plaint of a melancholy mel-ancholy song came to them. . . , ; "Lawd Jesus, lissen to de lam's a-cryin'," a-cryin'," the sharp hi-yi of the other field hands when an unwary rabbit darted from its haven in the surrounding sur-rounding scrub, was caught, whirled around the Negro's head, and slung into a pile, dead, ready for the fry-pan, fry-pan, come suppertime. "Dem niggahs shore has a miration mira-tion for Marse Gait," Cupsie said tentatively. "You're slopping that good cream," Lark said briefly. "You'se sorter edgy, ain't ye?" Cupsie asked companionably. "Ain't no need to be scairt of Ma'am Farrington. Far-rington. I'se bin up to de quarters ob Sheriden an' kin tell ye all about "We remember the race," Judge Tavner said. "Most of us here today to-day witnessed it." "You know the beast broke down In the stretch," Minnie continued, "but Squire Terraine, being a sporting sport-ing gent of the first water, paid the price. And that price didn't Include borse-flesb. What I want to know, snd this court wants to know. Is how many horses of Squire Terraine I you got in your stables this minute min-ute Mr. Dawes?" Minnie fired the question point-blank at Plascutt. Plascutt said hastily. "Judge Tav-Ber Tav-Ber this woman has nothing in writ-Ing writ-Ing to bear out her statement. The wager was a personal agreement between be-tween me and Jarrod Terraine. I see no reason to re-open the points covered in the bet. That it was made and carried out in good faith I think has been proven by past events. Because I did not wish to press my advantage as winner, I allowed Jarrod Terraine to make what disposition he chose of his slaves and his horses." Minnie said. "That man's twistin the truth. Ben Tavner honest to God, he is. Jarrod Terraine . down-righ down-righ claim was that Lancer (Red Raskall we call him) could beat Tender Boy. And that's what happened, hap-pened, sin' it? Looks to me like Sauire Terraine could claim all his fand back if there's any sense in lllZ S'pose I Just write him now, ouT mere in Kaintuck and tel him how matters stand; that Lancer did S Sunder Boy. fair an' square " the county circuit track. I cou d take my pen to SjffSJS. " She glanced slyly at Plascuw. Mr. Dawes said quickly. I I JJJ decided, Judge Tavner to withdraw mv claim to the horse and to cease SfgaUon against Miss Shannon snd Mr. Withe." "Just a moment. Mr. Dawes the rescontinued. In re- nard to this horse 1 don't give a damn about he v.r .... .d don. IMHI" "PV are. Hr. "IT , Bu',.u 'Z " T her. Ole Ma'am Farrington, dey say she am 'bout de out-footenest lady 'roun' here." "I'm not interested," Larn said. "Cupsie, mind your churning. Don't let me have to speak to you again!" "No, ma'am." Cupsie was completely com-pletely unperturbed. "Ye bettah let me fix you up a bit o lunch, Miss Lark, an' take time fur a lay-down to settle yoah tempah. Ye gonna crimp yo' haih, ain't ye? Ma'am Farrington's got sharp eyes. Ain't no lady roun' here don' toiler de style. . . . Miss Pretty-Anne Taylor has a two-piece corset an' strings herself up to de bed pos.' " "My hair looks funny crimped." "I ain't a-sayin' ye ain't got purty hair an' dat it don' look good plain, but Mistress Mara puts hers up on HI' rags sbry night ob de worl'. Marse David he laks crimp hair an' mos' folks do. Ole Ma'am Farrington Farring-ton laugh hersel' into a fit, goin home from drinkin' a dish ob tea wid a gal wld straight hair." "I can't help it if she does, and what's more, Cupsie, I don't believe she does. She told me Mistress Dawes had caught her in the barn, dosing the horses. She's not a fan-cified fan-cified old lady at all." "Sometimes she is, an' sometimes she ain't," Cupsie said judiciously. "She kin be plain as Satan's old heel when she wants to, but when dey have a ball up at Sheriden she decks herself up in lace spetiskirts an' emerai's an' di'mon's an' all. Dat's what I hear tell. She got a' eye for a han'som gent too, spite o' being one foot in de grabe. I heerd she tole some one Marse Gait wua de bes' lookin' young mister-somebody she's seen for a coon's age." When Lark didn't give Cupsie an answer the little darkey wasn't discouraged dis-couraged but went on. "She right too, jes' lock out de winder at Marse Gait a-stridin' dat Raskall out dar. Dey de pretties' pair ob critturs ever did see. Look lak a' up-an'-comin' man lak him wouldn' be sc hin'most 'bout flndin' hisself a wife. Mebbe he shy, Miss Lark an' need a lil hint. What you t'ink, honey?" "Cupsie. I can't think when yot talk so much!" Lark laughed. "No'm. But when I laks a pus son, I jes' plain-out can't help sayln' so. I never did coddle to Mlstat David Nawth, though I 'spec he air rich, rich as this here buttah cream Him an' Miss Mare's a good mate iff en ye ax me." (TO BE CuNTTNUHD) She lit a Bre of pine chips. every Intention of bringing them up and explaining them to the Jury. Mr. Dawes, It Is now in order for your lawyer to plead. . . ." Mr. Dawes' lawyer spoke with great conviction but apparently made little impression on the jury who had already been prejudiced against his client After he had finished, the judge sent the sergeant for a certain volume vol-ume and studied it for some moments. mo-ments. Minnie said, "Read it aloud, Ben. We'd all like mighty much to hear just what it says." The judge cleared his throat and began: " '1. The salvage services must have been rendered within the jurisdiction juris-diction of this Admiralty. . . Minnie nodded vigorously and smiled encouragingly at Lark. "2 There must be no legal duty on the party of the salvor to render assistance.' " "All right, Ben, go ahead! Minnie's Min-nie's excitement had spread to the jury, who were listening attentively. " '3. The property must have been In peril when rescued by the salvor.' sal-vor.' " "It was Ben, that poor horse was a-sinking fast in the quicksand and would have been a goner if Lark hadn't histed him with a spar." The ju 'e looked over his spectacles specta-cles at Lark. "That's perfectly true, ir," she said. "And lastly, the fourth point. The services must have been successful.' suc-cessful.' " . . j Just take a look out the window, Ben and you'll see the horse hale an' 'hearty as the day he was weaned." Minnie beamed. -if these conditions be satis-fled satis-fled ' " the judge continued to quote. " 'salvage claims take priority of all others against the property saved nd eive the salvor a maritime lien uptTuch property, enforceable by action in rem.' ' "What's 'a hen'?" Mjnn.e wanted to know. "Say it in plain English. JU"Ae'lien" Ben Tavner explained with gracious condescension, "is de-fined de-fined by the dictionary as being, right to retain possession of property proper-ty Till debt due in respect of it is doaLaCrk gets to keep this horse, judge?" Minnie asked in great ex- |