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Yes. (He sits at table and takes pen, ink and paper from a drawer) I can hold court right here long enough for that.

This is my prisoner, Judge, and here ’s the warrant.

He puts warrant on table.

First he ’s got to swear, before you, to my conditions,

What conditions?

When will his trial be, Judge?

Not before the spring term, I should think—say early April.

You ’ll stay here till then, Ben; you won’t leave town! You ’ll work the farm,—there ’s plenty to be done.

(sulkily)

I don’t know how to work a farm.

Ido. You ’ll just do what I tell you.

Be your slave? That ’s what you mean, ain’t it?

I ’ve been about that here for eight years.

And now it ’s your turn to get square on a Jordan!

You ’ll work for once, and work every day. The first day you don’t I ’ll surrender you to the judge, and he ’ll jail you. The rest of the Jordans will live as I