Young turned his head again toward the window. He could not banish the wish that Tess would listen to him.
The deputy placed his hand firmly upon the prisoner's arm, the fisherman himself trying in vain to loosen the girl's fingers from the shaggy beard.
"I—I—air to go with Daddy—I air—I air!"
Tessibel brought out the words snappingly, but Skinner, with the aid of the deputy, opened the clenched hands. Tessibel gave way; she was unable to stop the awful impending danger that hung over her—absolute separation from Daddy Skinner.
"Daddy, Daddy," she gasped, sitting up straight: "man—man, let me go ... I air dyin' without my Daddy ... I air alone—all alone!"
The official moved anxiously as she made this appeal to him. She was now standing on her bare feet, but she bounded forward as the bible-back rose and fell, and large tears dragged themselves from the lowered lids of the fisherman's blue-gray eyes. She pantingly caught her father's hand in hers.
"Kisses, Daddy Skinner, kisses on the bill for Tess—before ye go ... Tess air a bad brat—"
She could not finish the sentence for the squatter had pressed her to him convulsively. Then Skinner dropped the slender, relaxed body into the wooden arm-chair, and iron-hampered, took up his march behind the deputy. The professor mutely watched the storm, desperate and terrible, break over the squatter girl. Her wild weeping settled into sobs, the sound of which rent and shook the man's emotions. At last he ventured to speak:
"Child, may I be your friend?"