The streets of Drywood was quieter with people streaming into to see the trial of Jonathon Gravy and Judd Larrabee. The room that was being used for the trial was busting at the seam with curious people to see . Mostly because the original judge, Judge Harris suffered a heat stroke so another judge had been called in. Jonathon was sitting at a table with his lawyer, Newton Lincoln and Judd was by himself when the bailiff came in and stood by a side door to the room.

"All rise for Judge Parker!" Everybody rose and a man with faded blond hair came in; he sat down at the head table and picked up a gavel and hit the table with it and he said, "Everybody sit down!" After seeing that the people in attendance sat down, the judge continued, "You probably do know, Judge Harris suffered from heat stroke yesterday, the doctor wants him to rest for a day or two so I'm it"

Judd Larrabee didn't look a bit happy about it and he stood up and said, "You ain't no judge! You're just an old lawyer!" Judge Parker picked up the gravel and banged it down on the table. "Listen Judd Larrabee, unless you want to wait two weeks, I'm it! So sit down and shut up unless it's necessary talk! It's that or jail time for you until man lands on the moon and since I don't see that happening anytime soon, you just might die in that cell!"

Everybody laughed at Judd and he reluctantly sat down. The judge pounded his gavel upon the table and yelled, "Order in the court!" Instantly, the observers grew quiet. "Now Mister Lincoln, from what I understand, we have to get more prospective jury members so that being the case, let's start seeing people"

Newton stood up and answered, "Yes sir. I would like to call Jesse Lewis up to the stand." The same man who was called yesterday stood up and walked to the witness stand. He then sat down and waited for the questioning to begin to see if he was eligible to be on the jury.

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Alice sat in a beautiful overstuffed pink chair and looked around at the beautiful surroundings in her aunt's home. Beautiful wall paper with an outdoor scene adorned the wall. She looked over in the corner and saw an amazingly beautiful dressing screen with three huge holes cut out at the top and the screen itself was outlined in expensive wood . Alice looked at the other pieces of furniture in the parlor room and she knew she should be happy but she wasn't . Alice sighed and looked down at the town newspaper Jonathon Garvey and Judd Larrabee trail to resume today. Alice didn't even bother to read the rest of the article. No, she just sighed and looked out the window. As she gazed out the window, a plump woman walked in. The woman looked at Alice and sadly smiled. She walked over to a nearby chair and sat down, taking her niece's hand as she did so. "Honey, you go to do more than just sit here and stew."

Alice took her hand out from her aunt's and sat back. "Oh, I just don't know what to do Auntie." Her aunt smiled and said, "You're just sitting here and running this around in your pretty little head; you go to do something to get it off your mind!"

Alice stood back up and said, "I don't know what that could be." Her aunt starting thinking on something, and then she said, "Weren't you going to become a teacher?"

Alice looked at her aunt and replied, "Well, I was going to take the exam but..."

Her aunt knew Alice was going to say she got married to Harold. Her Aunt quickly stood and said, "Well, there's no one saying you can't take it now! Just go on down to our school in town and take it, I'm sure the town's teacher, Miss Smith would help you"

Alice thought on that idea and then answered, "I might." Her aunt proudly smiled as she got up and left the room and Alice said to herself. "I just might."

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Back in the courtroom, several hours later, Judge Parker says, "Now since we all had lunch, let's get this trial started shall we, mister Newton, are you ready?" Newton stands up and he says, "I am your honor." Judge Parker looks at Judd and asks, "Are you ready?" Judd shakes his head then says. "I am your honor"

Parker nodded his head to signal for Newton to start; the man starts to speak to the jury but then a voice spoke up and said, "Excuse me, but I don't think we are even going to have need of a trial!" Everyone turned their heads to see Elijah Griffith holding an old man by the collar. The old man had on old, torn clothes a nd held all the furs that Elijah had found in the abandoned building.

Judge Parker asked, "What's the meaning of this?"

Elijah stopped to the side still holding on to the man; he tipped his hat and answered, "Begging your pardon sir, but I'm bringing in the real criminal." Everybody in the large room gasped and talked.

The judge pounded his gravel again to get order and asked, "Who is this?"

Elijah made sure he had a firmer grip on the man as he replied, "I don't know his name sir, but this man has lived in that stretch of land you people have back there; the one that you say is haunted or something. He's the one that stole the furs."

Another round of talk started up and Parker again pounded his gravel as he barked, "If anybody else speaks above a whisper in here, I'm having them bodily removed! Now, Sergeant, tell me what is going on?"

Elijah forced the man he'd bought in up to the front with Jonathon and Judd carefully watching. Elijah shook the man then answered, "I'm Andrew Grappe; I've lived up there in that abandoned mill for years, been living best I could without anybody's help. I live by whatever I find and a few days ago I found these furs in some wagon wreck; I was planning on selling them for money." He pointed to the furs.

Judd Larrabee stood up and yelled, "Those my furs Judge!"

The judge hit the gravel and glared at Judd. "I warned you Judd! Now, sit down or I'm throwing you in jail the next time for sure!" Judd sat down while Parker asked the man called Mr. Grappe, "You've been the one scaring and killing those people up there?"

Andrew firmly shook his head 'NO', and then answered, "Ain't done NO killing. There's something up in those woods; I don't know what it is and I don't want to know. It stinks worse; well, then times as worse than a skunk! From what I have heard, the sounds it makes would wake the dead up in ten cemeteries."

One man stood up and yelled, "He's making it up! He's done it all! Killing everybody and stealing!"

Andrew tuned around and said, "I ain't done no killing and I'll swear to that on a stack of Bibles and my mother's grave!" The statement just caused more confusion and talk. Judge Parker stood up pounding his gravel four or five times. "Bailiff! Come get those furs! Andrew Grappe, since you admitted to taking those furs, I'm placing you under arrest. And I think it's for you safety that I do so. Mister Garvey, the charges are dropped..." Then he sees Judd getting up to say something so he raised his hand and said, "And the furs will get back to you Judd Larrabee in due time! Case dismissed!"

Jonathon shook Newton's hand while everybody slapped Jonathon's back. They congratulated Jonathon.

Judd Larrabee then overheard a man say, "Judd Larrabee up and accused the first person he could think of ! If he thinks he's losing money, he ain't nothing but a joke!" Judd shot daggers of hate to Jonathon and Jonathon hurried to leave the place they were using for the 'courtroom'.

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Later that night as Jonathon walked down the semi-deseted streets of Drywood, he looked up and saw the bright full moon. He breathed in the night air and felt the crisp air on his skin and in his lungs. He started to turn around and leave when he heard a sound, a sound unlike anything he'd ever heard. Jonathon knew it wasn't a wolf or any animal he knew of, just a sound that sounded as cold and haunting as death itself. The sound then faded away. As he couldn't see what he could do about it, Jonathon walked away.

A/N-Back then a person didn't have to go to college to become a teacher, a lot of my friends wish it was that way now.

In the Little House show series, they said that the person who had the furs was caught red-handed so this is how I envisioned it.

Just a question-Can anybody guess about who are what is behind the mystery? ( Ultimatelaurafan, you can't guess because you already know )

Sand n' Sable