Do I look to YOU like a man that'd do such a thing?"

"No," she said, gently. "I don't think you would."

"No!" he exclaimed. "Nor HE wouldn't think so if he was himself;
he's known me too long. But he must been sort of brooding over
this whole business--I mean before Walter's trouble he must been
taking it to heart pretty hard for some time back. He thought I
didn't think much of him any more--and I expect he maybe wondered
some what I was going to DO--and there's nothing worse'n that
state of mind to make a man suspicious of all kinds of meanness.
Well, he practically stood up there and accused me to my face of
fixing things so't he couldn't ever raise the money to settle for
Walter and ask us not to prosecute. That's the state of mind
your father's brooding got him into, young lady--charging me with
a trick like that!"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know you'd never----"

The old man slapped his sturdy knee, angrily. "Why, that dang
fool of a Virgil Adams!" he exclaimed. "He wouldn't even give me
a chance to talk; and he got me so mad I couldn't hardly talk,
anyway! He might 'a' known from the first I wasn't going to
let him walk in and beat me out of my own--that is, he might
'a' known I wouldn't let him get ahead of me in a business
matter--not with my boys twitting me about it every few minutes!
But to talk to me the way he did this morning--well, he was
out of his head; that's all! Now, wait just a minute," he
interposed, as she seemed about to speak. "In the first place,
we aren't going to push this case against your brother. I