“What’s that?” Craft looked down on the boy in astonishment.

“I say I will not go with you,” repeated Ralph; “that’s all—­I won’t go.”

Then the old man’s wrath was let loose.

“You beggar!” he shouted, “how dare you disobey me!  I’ll teach you!” He raised his cane threateningly as he spoke.

“Hit me,” said Ralph, “kill me if you want to; I’d ruther die than go back to live with you.”

Old Simon grasped his cane by its foot and raised it above his head.  In another instant it would have descended on the body of the unfortunate boy; but in that instant some one seized it from behind, wrenched it from Craft’s weak grasp, and flung it into the street.

It was Bachelor Billy; He had entered at the open door unseen.  He seized Craft’s shoulders and whirled him around till the two men stood face to face.

“Mon!” he exclaimed, “mon! an’ yon steck had a-fallen o’ the lad’s head, I dinna ken what I s’ould ‘a’ done till ye.  Ye’re lucky to be auld an’ sick, or ye s’ould feel the weight o’ ma han’ as it is.”

But Craft was not subdued.  On the contrary his rage grew more fierce.  “What’s the boy to you?” he shouted, savagely.  “You leave us alone.  He belongs to me; he shall go with me.”

It was a full half-minute before Bachelor Billy’s dull mind grasped the situation.  Meanwhile he was looking down into Ralph’s white face.  Then he turned again to Craft.

“Never!” he said, solemnly.  “Ye s’all never tak’ ’im.  I’ll see the lad in his grave first.”  After a moment he continued, “It’s no’ safe for ye to stay longer wi’ us; it’s better ye s’ould go.”

Then another man entered at the open door.  It was the sheriff of Luzerne County.  He held the writ of habeas corpus in his hand.

“Why didn’t you wait for me,” he said, turning angrily to Craft, “instead of coming here to pick a quarrel with these people?”

“That’s none of your business,” replied the old man.  “You’ve got your writ, now do your duty or I’ll—­” A fit of coughing attacked him, and he dropped into a chair to give way to it.

The sheriff looked at him contemptuously for a moment, then he turned to Bachelor Billy.

“This miserable old man,” he said, “has had a writ of habeas corpus issued, commanding you to produce immediately before the judge at Wilkesbarre the body of the boy Ralph.  It is my place to see that the writ is properly executed.  There’s no help for it, so I think you had better get ready, and we will go as soon as possible.”  And he handed to Bachelor Billy a copy of the writ.

“I ha’ no time to read it,” said Billy, “but if the judge says as the lad s’ould gae to court again, he s’all gae.  We mus’ obey the law.  An’ I s’all gae wi’ ’im.  Whaur the lad gae’s I s’all gae.  I s’all stay by ‘im nicht an’ day.  If the law says he mus’ live wi’ Seemon Craft, then I s’all live wi’ Seemon Craft also.  I ha’ nursit ‘im too long, an’ lovit ’im too weel to turn ’im alone into the wolfs den noo.”