As soon as class was dismissed, Mark ran from the school house towards the center of town. Slowing his pace to not make a ruckus, the boy entered the town meeting hall and hurried towards Judge Hanavan's courtroom. He quietly opened the door, letting out a disappointed sigh as he saw the empty seats.

"And Miss Adams even let us out early…"

The judge looked up from his bench, trying to hide the smile pulling at the corners of his lips. "Something I can help you with, young man?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Judge. I was hoping it wasn't over yet."

"No disruption made, I was just finishing up. You've been quite interested in this trial, haven't you?"

"Well it's not every day my pa gets to be on a jury. He usually has to testify or work as a deputy… he did a lot of that when we were in Claypool."

"I'm sure your father, like the rest of us, is just relieved to see this trial over with… it's been a long couple of weeks."

"Well how come it took so long? Everybody knows Mr. Walker did it."

"…Maybe I should have asked Miss Adams to allow you children to attend."

"What do you mean?"

"Mark, it's every person's right to be able to offer a defense against their accusers. Though it may be difficult for men to dismiss their biases, it's important for those who hear that defense to be as objective as possible… to not favor one person over the other until all the facts have been presented. Last Saturday, you got candy from Mrs. Denton, did you not?"

"Sure I did."

"Well what if I went and told your father that I saw you take that candy while Mrs. Denton wasn't looking, and that you walked right out of the store without paying for it."

"But I-"

"And what if your father didn't give you a chance to explain that you had worked for that candy, and that Mrs. Denton had told you to get some while she helped a customer? If I told him you took the candy while she wasn't looking, it would have been the truth. But would it be fair for him to punish you without giving you the opportunity to tell him the whole story?"

"No."

"Would it be fair for him to not believe you, just because I talked to him first?"

Mark shook his head.

"Similarly, when we put someone on trial, he needs to have the opportunity to tell his side of the story without the men on the jury already assuming that he's guilty. That's part of what took so long with this trial… there were a lot of testimonies to be given and a lot of facts to be considered. It took the jury a long time to talk about everything that had been said. When they finished, the jury decided that Mr. Walker was guilty of a lot of things, but they didn't believe he was guilty of murder."

The boy looked at the judge for a long moment, confusion and disbelief filling his eyes. "But… but Mr. Bennet…"

"Was one of many people who testified. The jury still couldn't find that Mr. Walker was guilty of murder."

"…Do you agree with them?"

Several moments passed as Judge Hanavan considered the question. "…It was my job to make sure the trial was conducted properly. It was the job of twelve men, not one, to make a determination of guilt or innocence."

"…You don't think my pa was right, do you?"

"Mark, your father and the other men who served on that jury did what they believed was right. What I believe about Mr. Walker doesn't matter. A judge is bound to act upon a jury's verdict, regardless of how they feel."

"…Are you upset at my pa because he doesn't think Mr. Walker did it?"

"No," the judge chuckled. "Regardless of what happened today, your father is a man I respect. If he had fair doubt, he had a duty to vote the way he did."

The boy thought for a moment, briefly glancing towards the jury box before again looking up at the judge. "…I think I understand, but… well, maybe for the other kids, you should still ask Miss Adams to let us out of school next time. She and Pa are always saying how important it is to understand the law."

This time, Judge Hanvan let out a booming laugh as he shook his head. "We'll see." The man then stood as he began collecting his things. "I best be on my way; I'd like to get these letters out on the afternoon stage. …I believe I heard your father say he was going to meet the blacksmith at the livery… you might find it prudent to make your way there."

"Thank you."

Mark left the building and made his way down the street to find Nels talking to his father. He ran up to the men, waiting for a break in the conversation to greet them.

"Well, Mark, it's good to see you. Little early for school to be out, isn't it?"

Lucas turned towards his son with a raised eyebrow as he waited for him to answer the blacksmith's question.

"Miss Adams dismissed us early today." He briefly hesitated before looking up at his pa. "…Well?"

"Well what?" Lucas innocently asked.

"Now can you please tell me what happened?"

The two men let out a long laugh, Lucas placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "On the way home, I promise. We have a few errands to run, first. Why don't you go over to Hattie's and give her this list? I'll be over in a few minutes."

"…Alright…"

Nels chuckled as the boy walked away. "I'm surprised the boy hasn't asked you for a full report every evening."

"Judge Hanavan didn't want the jurors discussing the trial with anyone. Mark tried asking a few times, but finally gave up when he realized I couldn't make an exception for him."

"…I'll respect your privacy if you don't want to talk about it, but how do you feel about the verdict you gave?"

"It was a unanimous decision, Nels. Every man on that jury agreed on the verdict that was given."

"After everything that's happened, though… Greg Bennet still tells quite a convincing story."

"The evidence just wasn't there."

"…So he was acquitted because they proved he was innocent, or he was acquitted because his guilt couldn't be proven?"

"In the eyes of the law, they're the same thing."

"But that's not what I'm asking."

"That's as much as I'll say about it."

"Fair enough. I'm sure you and everyone else on that jury has enough to worry about without expressing your personal opinions."

"…What do you mean?"

"You know how folks are after any trial, especially a murder trial. No matter what happens in court, there will always be a few folks convinced that the jury chose wrong."

"I think the folks here are sensible enough. Besides, Walker is still going to prison for a long time. I think folks will be satisfied with the fact that he'll be off the streets."

"I hope so. I'll try to have those blades done for you by tomorrow."

"Thanks; I'll see you then."

The rancher made a few more stops before walking over to the store, where he found his son anxiously waiting for him. After saying hello to Hattie and loading up the buckboard, the two McCains headed home. Mark eagerly listened as his father told him the details of the trial, finding himself more confused as time went on.

"…Judge Hanavan was right," he finally said.

"Judge Hanavan?"

"I went over there after school and we talked about the trial… and he said it was important to hear both sides of a story. …How did you know who was telling the truth? I don't know if I could have."

"There's more to a man's testimony than the words he speaks."

"What do you mean?"

"…Well, let's take you for example. When you're not telling me everything you should be, you won't look me in the eye and you won't stay still."

"…I do?"

Lucas nodded. "Most people have some habit they fall into when they're not being entirely truthful. I still don't know what happened that night… I don't know if we'll ever know. But Mr. Bennet wasn't telling the truth about something, and the prosecutor wasn't able to prove that Mr. Walker killed anyone."

"…When I talked to Judge Hanavan… he didn't rightly say it, but I got the feeling that he didn't agree with you."

"I'm sure there will be a few people that don't. But everyone who had the responsibility of coming to a verdict agreed that we came to the right one."

"What about the other stuff Mr. Walker did? Judge Hanavan said you agreed he was guilty of those things."

"We did, and he'll be punished accordingly."

"…What do you think it was that Mr. Bennet was lying about? Why would he? I mean, wouldn't he want the person that actually killed his brother to go to prison?"

"People lie for a lot of reasons… I doubt we'll ever know why Mr. Bennet wasn't telling the whole truth. But that's not something I want you thinking on and imagining all sorts of stories about, you hear?"

"Yes, Pa."

"Good."

"…When do you think the next trial will be?"

"Hopefully not for a long time." Seeing a frown come over Mark's face, Lucas raised an eyebrow at his son. "Why?"

"Judge Hanavan said he might ask Miss Adams to let school out next time."

The rancher chuckled, shaking his head. "I doubt that would go over too well with the ladies of North Fork."

"Women," Mark mused. "They always have to go and ruin everything."

"Give it a few years, I don't think you'll feel quite the same way."

"What do you mean?"

"Just trust me," he answered with a smile. "You'll understand when you're older."