She says she hadn't seen her cousin since he was a boy, and used to play with her, and that she finds it hard to believe that he should ever grow up to change his name and act so as to provoke anybody to lift a hand against him.

She says she supposed it must be something in that dreadful California that alters people and makes everybody so reckless.

I reckon her head's level there, ain't it ?" There was such a sudden and unexpected lightening of the man's face as he said it, such a momentary relief to his persistent gloom, that the Colonel, albeit inwardly dissenting from both letter and comment, smiled condescendingly.
"She's no slouch of a scribe neither," continued Corbin animatedly.
"Read that." He handed his companion the letter, pointing to a passage with his finger.

The Colonel took it with, I fear, a somewhat lowered opinion of his client, and a new theory of the case.

It was evident that this weak submission to the aunt's conspiracy was only the result of a greater weakness for the niece.