“The judge kind of half smiles and says he will talk with me in his private room.  In there I put the whole thing up to him in such language as I had, and when we goes outside, he announces the verdict that the young man is delivered into the hands of the Texas authorities; and calls the next case.

“Skipping over much of what happened on the way back, I’ll tell you how the thing wound up in Bildad.

“When we got the prisoner in the sheriff’s office, I says to Luke: 

“’You, remember that kid of yours—­that two-year old that they stole away from you when the bust-up come?’

“Luke looks black and angry.  He’d never let anybody talk to him about that business, and he never mentioned it himself.

“‘Toe the mark,’ says I.  ’Do you remember when he was toddling around on the porch and fell down on a pair of Mexican spurs and cut four little holes over his right eye?  Look at the prisoner,’ says I, ’look at his nose and the shape of his head and—­why, you old fool, don’t you know your own son?—­I knew him,’ says I, ’when he perforated Mr. Johnson at the depot.’

“Luke comes over to me shaking all over.  I never saw him lose his nerve before.

“‘Bud,’ says he.  ’I’ve never had that boy out of my mind one day or one night since he was took away.  But I never let on.  But can we hold him?—­ Can we make him stay?—­ I’ll make the best man of him that ever put his foot in a stirrup.  Wait a minute,’ says he, all excited and out of his mind—­’I’ve got some-thing here in my desk—­I reckon it’ll hold legal yet—­I’ve looked at it a thousand times—­“Cus-to-dy of the child,"’ says Luke—­’"Cus-to-dy of the child.”  We can hold him on that, can’t we?  Le’me see if I can find that decree.’

“Luke begins to tear his desk to pieces.

“‘Hold on,’ says I.  ’You are Order and I’m Law.  You needn’t look for that paper, Luke.  It ain’t a decree any more.  It’s requisition papers.  It’s on file in that Magistrate’s office in New York.  I took it along when we went, because I was office deputy and knew the law.’

“‘I’ve got him back,’ says Luke.  ‘He’s mine again.  I never thought—­’

“‘Wait a minute,’ says I.  ’We’ve got to have law and order.  You and me have got to preserve ’em both in Mojada County according to our oath and conscience.  The kid shot Pedro Johnson, one of Bildad’s most prominent and—­’

“‘Oh, hell!’ says Luke.  ’That don’t amount to anything.  That fellow was half Mexican, anyhow.’”

XXII

TRANSFORMATION OF MARTIN BURNEY

In behalf of Sir Walter’s soothing plant let us look into the case of Martin Burney.