“This block you been tellin’ about—­how was it fastened to the dog?”

“Thar was a chain fastened to the block by a staple.  The other end was fastened to the collar.”

“How heavy do you think that block was?”

“About ten pound.  I reckon.”

“Five,” broke in Old Man Thornycroft with a sneer.

Mr. Kirby turned to him.  “You fetched it with you, didn’t you?  I told you to.  It’s evidence.  Bob Kelley, go out to Mr. Thornycroft’s buggy an’ bring that block of wood into court.”

The room was silent while the rural policeman was gone.  Davy still stood in the cleared space before Mr. Kirby, his ragged overcoat on, his tattered hat in his hand, breathing fast, afraid to look at his mother.  Everybody turned when Kelley came in with the block of wood.  Everybody craned their necks to watch, while at the magistrate’s order Kelley weighed the block of wood on the store’s scales, which he put on the magistrate’s table.

“Fo’teen punds,” said Mr. Kirby.  “Take the scales away.”

“It had rubbed all the skin off’n the dog’s neck,” broke in Davy impulsively.  “It was all raw an’ bleedin’.”

“Aw, that ain’t so!” cried Thornycroft.

“Is the dog out there?” asked Mr. Kirby.

“Yes, sir, under the buggy.”

“Bob Kelley, you go out an’ bring that dog into court.”

The rural policeman went out, and came back with the hound, who looked eagerly up from one face to the other, then, seeing Davy, came to him and stood against him, still looking around with that expression of melancholy on his face that a hound dog always wears except when he’s in action.

“Bring the dog here, son!” commanded Mr. Kirby.  He examined the raw place on the neck.  “Any of you gentlemen care to take a look?” he asked.

“It was worse than that,” declared Davy, “till I rubbed vase-leen on it.”

Old Man Thornycroft pushed forward, face quivering.  “What’s all this got to do with the boy stealin’ the dog?” he demanded.  “That’s what I want to know—­what’s it got to do?”

“Mr. Thornycroft,” said Kirby, “at nine o’clock this mornin’ this place ceased to be Tom Belcher’s sto’, an’ become a court of justice.  Some things are seemly in a court, some not.  You stand back there!”

The old man stepped back to the counter, and stood julling his chin, his eyes running over the crowd of faces.

“Davy Allen,” spoke Mr. Kirby, “you stand back there with your ma.  Tom Belcher make way for him.  And, Tom, s’pose you put another stick of wood in that stove an’ poke up the fire.”  He took off his glasses, blew on them, polished them with his handkerchief and readjusted them.  Then, leaning back in his chair, he spoke.

“Gentlemen, from the beginnin’ of time, as fur back as records go, a dog’s been the friend, companion, an’ protector of man.  Folks say he come from the wolf, but that ain’t no reflection on him, seem’ that we come from monkeys ourselves, an’ I believe, takin’ all things into account, I’d as soon have a wolf for a ancestor as a monkey, an’ a little ruther.