Lochinvar piece recited at me the rest of my life, Johnny, and I should think you would be willing to apologize to the sheriff and be nice now and make them let you off easy.  And dad blames me for eloping with you and thinks we had it planned before he got home yesterday, and he says there was no excuse and it showed a lack of confidence in his judgment.  He says you are a d. fool and take yourself too seriously, and it is a pity you couldn’t have some sense knocked into you.  But you must not mind him now because he is angry and will get over it.  But Johnny, please do be a good boy now and don’t make us any more trouble.  I am sure I never dreamed what you had in mind, but I would have married you since we started to, but now it is perfectly odious to have it turn out such a fizzle, with you in jail and I being preached at every waking moment by dad and mommie.  If you had only kept your temper and waited until dad and mommie got here, I am sure we would be married by now, because I could have made them give their consent and be present at the Wedding and everything go off pleasantly instead of such a horrid mess as this is.

“I want you to promise me now that you will be good, and I will make dad get the judge to let you off.  Won’t you please see dad and be nice to him?  His calling you a d. fool does not mean anything.  That is dad’s way when he is peeved, and the jailer says you told him dad could go to h.  That is why he said it and not on general principles, because he does really like you, Johnny.  Of course we could see you anyway, because you couldn’t help yourself, but dad won’t do it unless you are willing to be good.  So please, dear, won’t you let us come up and talk nicely together?  I am sure the sheriff bears no ill will though his jaw is swelled a little but not much.  So we can get you out of this scrape if you will meet us halfway and be a nice sensible boy.  Please, Johnny.

“Your loving Mary V.”

Johnny read that last paragraph three times, and gave a snort with each reading.  If being let off easy involved the intercession of Mary V’s father, Johnny would prefer imprisonment for life.  At least, that is what he told himself.  And if being a nice sensible boy meant that he was to apologize to the sheriff and say pretty please to Sudden, the chance of Johnny’s ever being nice and sensible was extremely remote.  His loving Mary V had said too much—­a common mistake.  What she should have done was confine her letter to a ten-word message, and tear the message up.  A fellow in Johnny’s frame of mind were better left alone for a while.

He sulked until he was taken down into the police court, where his crime was duly presented to the judge and his sentence duly pronounced.  Knowing nothing whatever of the seamy side of life, as it is seen inside those dismal houses with barred windows, Johnny thought he was being treated with much severity.  As a matter of fact, his offence was being almost forgiven, and the six days’ sentence was merely a bit of discipline applied by the judge because Johnny sulked and scowled and scarcely deigned to answer when he was spoken to.