A tall, muscular man with wavy red hair stood and headed to the front. ARJ watched Mr. Mason as he raised his right hand and swore to tell the truth.
ARJ whispered in Uncle Albert's ear. "That's our neighbor. His land touches ours on the north."
Uncle Albert smiled reassuringly and put his arm around his shoulders.
Mr. Mason stated his name in a Scottish brogue and then sat at the clerk's direction.
Mr. Sluss rose, speaking before he rounded the table.
"Mr. Mason. How long have you lived in Payne Township?"
"We arrived last June, so one year."
"You and…"
"My wife, my son, and I."
"And where is your farm in relation to Mr. Dibbens' residence?"
"My land is directly north of Mr. Dibbens… residence."
"You are truly neighbors then."
"Yes. I suppose we are."
"So, you filed a claim on your land before the Dibbens family arrived next door?"
"Yes."
"Did you chance to meet your neighbors in the months after they arrived?"
"I figured he was busy putting up a cabin before winter. They arrived in the late autumn. I figured there would be time for… socializing… after winter passed through. I have met Dibbens once or twice on the road. We also spoke once along the border of our fields."
Mr. Sluss paused, then looked at a piece of paper on the table. He stood for a moment, hands on his hips, his shiny gold pocket watch swinging from a vest pocket.
"Mr. Mason, how would you describe the visit to the Dibbens farm on the night of February eleven?"
Mr. Mason shifted in his seat, his eyes on the ceiling above him. "Well… I can't say it was a pleasant visit. The matter we needed to speak to Mr. Dibbens about was quite a serious one." He glanced at Mr. Sluss, and then his eyes looked up again. "We were able to tell him our concerns and come to a neighborly agreement. At least I thought that's how it ended."
"And do you recall anyone being injured during the visit?"
"I can assure you that no one was hurt."
Mr. Sluss nodded. "I have no further questions."
Judge Campbell looked at Mr. Salisbury. "Defense?"
Mr. Salisbury stood. "Mr. Mason, you said you have a wife and son?"
"Two sons, now."
"And… you would be comfortable with them being visited by forty, or even twenty men, without your protection, and in the manor you described happened on the Dibbens' farm?"
Mr. Mason's eyes nearly cut through Dad's lawyer. "I'm sure I wouldn't like it, but as long as I follow the law and am in good standing with my neighbors, I shouldn't fear it."
Mr. Salisbury put his hand to his chin. "I have no further questions at this time."
Judge Campbell picked up his gavel. "We'll take a short recess. Please be back in your seats in thirty minutes."
ARJ heard Mum sigh in relief.
The people around them stood, and many started for the door. Mr. Salisbury made his way through the crowd toward them.
"Mrs. Dibbens, we won't need you until later this afternoon. So I suggest you return to the hotel and get a little rest and something to eat."
Mum opened her mouth to protest and looked at Dad. He nodded and motioned toward the door.
"We'll send for you before you're needed." He continued.
She nodded but kept her eyes on Dad, who smiled at her, then ARJ. Finally, Uncle Albert took her arm, and they made their way to the door.
ARJ inhaled the fresh air as they stepped outside.
Uncle Albert tasked ARJ with keeping an eye on Mum. Then, he ordered lunch to the room. After they ate, Mum rested while ARJ sat at the open window.
He thought about Dad, sitting between his lawyers, and the men who lied to his face about what happened the night of the mob.
Below him, the street was busy with activity. Wagons rolled through town, some with dusty cloth covers. He met eyes with a boy his age who was peering from the back of a covered wagon. ARJ wondered where he had come from and where he was going.
ARJ shifted to look in the opposite direction. He could see the river if he leaned out the window a bit. A grasshopper suddenly appeared in a rumble of wings. It landed on his knee, folding its yellow wings neatly on its back. ARJ froze, staring into the eyes of the insect. It shifted its front legs, getting a better footing, and returned the stare.
It was the most enormous grasshopper ARJ had ever seen, much larger than the little ones that jumped from blade to blade in the fields around their cabin. It took a few steps with its clawed feet, turning itself until it faced out toward the town: long antennae scanning the air.
"What are you doing so high in the air?" He whispered, holding his knee very still.
ARJ slowly lifted his hands and attempted to grab the insect with a quick swoop, but it leaped and became a blur of translucent yellow-green wings, disappearing faster than his hands could close around it.
"ARJ!" Uncle Albert's voice sounded from below. He looked down and saw him standing in the street.
"It's about time to return. Will you let your mum know?"
ARJ's stomach dropped at his uncle's words. "I will, Uncle." He shouted.
"I'll be up to get you in a few minutes."
ARJ nodded. "I'll tell her."
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