"Wull, the meetin' was down by Mrs. Sykes', and there's the matter of me specs bein' in me pocket at the time – and these two jabberin'--"

Dave stamped his foot and boomed, "Did you see Mister Gregory raise his fist to me?"

Back in column, O'Faolan replied, "Just as ye're sayin' it, Sir. Just so."

"Thank you, good Sirs!"

The presider: "Mister Mercier?

Another wordless wave ensued.

The ragged platoon retreated. O'Faolan lingered, wringing Dave's hand. "On behalf of meself, Oi give t'anks to Yer Lordship for the bargain, not an evenin' ago, o' the price o' a drink and a new hat for a task well-completed. A foin t'ing,'tis."

A wave of laughter rose out of the flat sea of noise and threatened to break over Dave, who faced it with a prophet's temper. It receded harmlessly.

"I call Mister Matthew Hurley."

Young Matthew recounted the events of Saturday evening last outside John Gray's house. Dave hung the righteous anger of his brother and the women's condition on the spar of Hugh's taking up the cudgel against the household. The audience's bile was replenished, and flowing.

Young Gregory was startled almost to speech when his advocate again demurred. Dave made capital of the growing whirlwind behind him.

"Reverend Hurley, the righteous and terrible evidence is in; our visitor has been unable to cast it into doubt. Unless he has a fragment of a case to offer, I submit the time is nigh for Hugh Gregory to face his Maker!"

Cries of "Yea!" and "Hang'm!" were interrupted by Mercier's unexpected urgency. "Excusez-moi, Reverend. S'il vous plait. I plead for the indulgence of a brief suspension. The early beginnings today interrupted my usual break-fast at Madame Sykes’. Could we not adjourn for an hour or two so I may recover?"

Reverend Hurley threw his aged arms at the gale without effect. The prosecutor, feeling anointed with advantage, was suddenly moved by the Christian spirit.

"Dominie, His Will shall be done before this day is out – of that I am certain. Whether it occurs in its best or its waning light matters not to me. Go, Mercier, revive yourself – to whatever purpose!"

Reverend Hurley declared a recess until two o'clock.

The murderous carnival reconvened at the appointed hour, and its constituents resumed their noisy thirst for spectacle. Mercier lingered until the first lull and arose.

"Reverend Hurley, I have but one person to bring testament."

He signaled to Constable Webb, who opened the vestibule doors and motioned. Summoned forth was an apparition – a stranger to Deer Lick, but out-of-place in any quarter. He wore the long-coat of the Confederate Army and a patch concealed an empty left eye-socket. Much else was remarkable but, if good health and prosperity had ever lived in him, they were mere squatters that had long since quit the premises.

Innocent fascination fell over every face in the church, save Mercier's and two others, as the harbinger seated himself. Reverend Hurley and the Bible remained where they were.

"Monsieur, if you would favor these good people with the same story you told to me in Carthage a fortnight ago. S'il vous plait.”

"Corp'l Zeb Magoffin's the name. Come from Carthage. Served the Rebel cause from the beginnin', startin' with the State Guard under Gov'n'r Jackson. We whupped them Yankees up near home – kil't or wounded 'most two hundert. J'ined up with Colonel Quantrill's boys in summer o' 'Sixty-three to get the Blue-Coats what raided Osceola. Must o' been three or four hundert of us, all told. We rode down on Lawrence in August. Kil't over a hundert-fifty, and torched most everythin'. Me and my Cap'n took a score ourselfs, right in their houses. We come up on this one house and shot the man and his two boys, directly. Cap'n heer'd a ruckus in a closet and found a heifer and girl – kin, wife and daughter, I reckon. They was lyin' down together – most out o' their heads. Cap'n turned 'm out; he was fix'n' to kill 'm but I tole him that's ag'in' Colonel's orders. 'Men and boys only.' He thought on 't and said we was to hide 'm, then – someplace where they wasn't to be found. We broke away and rode hard three days up to just North o' here--both of 'm still crazy from the killin'. The woman tuck fever the second day and was powerful sick when we left 'm at that farm. Cap'n and the man what tuck 'm argued fearsome. Cap'n pulled his cap'n'ball like he was goin' t' shoot; th' other give in, though."

"We j'ined up with Quantrill ag'in after that and staid on through October, where we kil't a mess o' Yankees over to Baxter Springs. Quantrill decided to winter in Texas; me 'n' Cap'n peeled off and hid out for a spell. I was a-feared that Cap'n might kill me for what I seen, so I run off in the night. Didn't come back 'til last summer, neither – figgered Cap'n be dead or caught by now."

An unearthly noise escaped from Reverend Hurley as his chin fell on his chest. He recovered, and said:

"It is as he says. In September of 1863, John Gray called me up to his place. He had a woman and her daughter there. The elder was seized of a delirium, and neither had memory of hearth nor kin. John swore on his oath that her husband was dead. We prayed on it. John decided to tell her that she was a widow, up from Springfield with her daughter after her husband had been taken in the War, and had married off to John before she took sick. I christened them both as Presbyterians and sanctified their union. We chose the names – " The old minister raised his eyes. "--Sarah and Mary, after John's grandmothers."

Mercier returned to his witness.

"And, Caporal Magoffin, the name of your Capitaine?"