"Yes, sir. I ain't had much to eat to-day," replied Hannibal
cautiously.

"I can offer you food then. What do you say to cold fish?" the
judge smacked his lips to impart a relish to the idea. "I dare
swear I can find you some corn bread into the bargain. Tea I
haven't got. On the advice of my physician, I don't use it.
What do you say--shall we light a fire and warm the fish?"

"I 'low I could eat it cold."

"No trouble in the world to start a fire. All we got to do is to
go out, and pull a few palings off the fence," urged the judge.

"It will do all right just like it is," said Hannibal.

"Very good, then! " cried the judge gaily, and he began to
assemble the dainties he had enumerated. "Here you are!" he
cleared his throat impressively, while benignity shone from every
feature of his face. "A moment since you allowed me to think
that you were solvent to the extent of fifty cents--" Hannibal
looked puzzled. The judge dealt him a friendly blow on the
back, then stood off and regarded him with a glance of great
jocularity, his plump knuckles on his hips and his arms akimbo.
"I wonder"--and his eyes assumed a speculative squint "I wonder
if you could be induced to make a temporary loan of that fifty
cents? The sum involved is really such a ridiculous trifle I
don't need to point out to you the absolute moral certainty of my
returning it at an early date--say to-morrow morning; say
to-morrow afternoon at the latest; say even the day after at the