Eli Part 5

During the evening and the night, rumor, as is often the case, led to evidence, and evidence has led to confession and to certainty. And the district attorney now desires me to say to you that the chief officer of the bank--who held the second key to the safe--is now under arrest for a heavy defalcation, which a sham robbery was to conceal, and that you may find the prisoner at the bar--not guilty. I congratulate you, gentlemen, that you had not rendered an adverse verdict."

"Your Honor!" said Eli, and he cleared his throat, "I desire it to be known that, even as the case stood last night, this jury had not agreed to convict, and never would have!"

There was a hush, while a loud scratching pen indorsed the record of acquittal. Then Wood walked down to the jury-box and took Eli's hand.

"Just what I told my wife all through," he said. "I knew you 'd hang out!"

Eli's jury was excused for the rest the of day, and by noon he was in his own village, relieved, too, of his most pressing burden: for George Cahoon had met him on the road, and told him that he was not going to the West, after all, for the present, and should not need his money.

But, as he turned the bend of the road and neared his house, he felt a rising fear that some disturbing rumor might have reached his wife about his action on the jury. And, to his distress and amazement, there she was, sitting in a chair at the door.

"Lizzie!" he said, "what does this mean? Are you crazy?"

"I'll tell you what it means," she said, as she stood up with a little smile and clasped her hands behind her. "This morning it got around and came to me that you was standing out all alone for John Wood, and that the talk was that they 'd be down on you, and drive you out of town, and that everybody pitied _me_,--_pitied me!_ And when I heard that, I thought I 'd see! And my strength seemed to come all back, and I got right up and dressed myself. And what's more, I 'm going to get well now!"

And she did.