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“The deputy picked her up in bar fight. She’s one heck of a sassy woman,” Judge Boone said.

“And where is she now?” Daniel asked.

“In jail.”

“I see. And you’re the one to bear the news to me?”

“We’ve been friends a long time, Daniel. I was friends with her family. Shame about Albert dying so young, and now his children running around the county like scallywags. A far cry from what one would expect of Albert Noble’s offspring… except Hannah, of course,” he smiled. “You got the plum there, even if she requires some looking after.” He cast Daniel a wry look.

“She is indeed a plum. Although, it would seem the other two are taking great pains to tear her down.”

“She’ll do all right. She has spirit and will and she loves you. She’s just a bit impetuous.”

“Too impetuous,” Daniel said grimly.

“My question for you—we have the matter of Jolie to decide on. Do you want me to handle this myself, or turn her over to you?”

Hannah paused to hear her husband’s answer. She had a tray of coffee, sugar and milk in her hands and stood poised at the kitchen doorway waiting.

Daniel didn’t make a noise for several seconds and when he spoke he might as well have grabbed her wrist and jerked hard. The tray nearly fell from her hands.

“Why don’t you come in here, Hannah. You might as well know what’s happening.”

Hannah rushed in and set the tray on the table.

“I am curious,” she looked at the two men, “I think I have a right to be.”

“Your sister is in a heap of trouble, Hannah,” Judge Boone said as he accepted his mug of coffee.

“And what this time?” she asked.

“A bar brawl.”

“Jolie?” She looked at him disbelieving.

“Your sister is not as naïve as you think. She has men swarming about her, now that she’s of eligible age. She draws them in with her pretty looks, making them dance to her suggestive come-hither ways. Frankly, she might be better off moving back with your mother.” He looked up at her and added with a warm grin, “A fine cup of coffee.”

“Thank you, sir. But really, Jolie can’t go live with Mother. The woman wants no part of the girl, nor does Jolie want any part of her. It simply won’t work. I wouldn’t suggest it to either one.”

“There is your aunt in Pennsylvania,” Daniel reminded her.

“Yes, dear, there is,” she considered the idea a moment then continued, “but couldn’t we try something else first? Warn her and see if she has it in her to change? She loves it here. Maybe if she knew that she’d be shipped off to Aunt Grace, she’d start behaving better. I would happily see her gone as disrupt things here any more than she already has, but I can’t see doing that without giving her one more chance. Please, Daniel?”

“That matter is up to you and Daniel,” the judge said. “What’s of more concern to me is handling the matter at hand. What do I do with her now? I can’t let her go unpunished. Either I take her in hand using my own methods, or you do.”

“She’s yours to take care of with this business,” Daniel said directly. “Better you than me.”

“So, what does that mean?” Hannah asked.

“It means she’ll get the same sort of treatment you got today,” the judge paused, giving her a meaningful stare, “from me.”

Hannah shuddered. She’d heard about the man’s rough justice; he was no one to be trifled with. Although she imagined that her husband could be as exacting and as hard. Under the circumstances, the very idea of an official court ordered punishment was a thought so chilling that she had to put it out of her mind lest she fall to her knees and beg the judge to offer her sister mercy. However, after hearing the man speak about his brand of corporal justice while she was herself strung up in the yard, Hannah was sure that pleading with the judge would get her nowhere.

While Hannah cleaned up the kitchen, the judge finished his coffee and his conference with Daniel. He then left the husband and wife to themselves and returned to town.

After dinner that evening, Hannah finally had to ask the questions that had been burning in her mind all day. “I wonder why, sir, you elect to have the judge punish Jolie, when you’ve done so a number of times yourself?”

Daniel eyed her thoughtfully, “That is the point, isn’t it? It would seem that Jolie doesn’t respect my authority. Perhaps a bit of official justice would bring her around when other means don’t work.”

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