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\pard\plain \tx0\tx360\tx720\tx1080\tx1440\tx1800\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\fi360\ltrch\loch {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Did Judge Snyder know about this?\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 He hesitated. He knew Mitch Snyder had been a beloved mentor of hers, and things could go very badly on this topic. Finally he said, \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Yes, except my dad and my grandfather briefed him. Judge Snyder was appointed during the period they were both active. I don\u8217\'92t know exactly what they told him. Or how they told him.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 The green eyes burned into him. \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93What aren\u8217\'92t you telling me? Better out than in, bud.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 He sat for a long minute, and considered further stalls \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  maybe going to the bathroom or getting himself something to drink. She probably wouldn\loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8217\'92t tolerate it. He said, \u8220\'93My father, and especially my grandfather, had a different style from me. Less\u8230\'85 honest. It might be better to let the details be lost in history.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Are you implying Judge Snyder was corrupt?\u8221\'94 Her words bit.}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93No.\u8221\'94 He shook his head. \u8220\'93I\u8217\'92m implying \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  saying \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  my grandfather was corrupt.\u8221\'94 He closed his eyes and held up a hand. \u8220\'93Here\u8217\'92s what I know. When I turned eighteen my father briefed me on the steward\u8217\'92s job \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0 \u8221\'94\u8217\'92s}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93I thought you didn\u8217\'92t start this until your father passed away? After we were out of college, when you were \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  what, twenty two?\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Twenty three, and yes, that\u8217\'92s true. But the normal process, the historic one, is that stewards overlap from the time the new one turns eighteen until the old one dies. We started down that road, but I\u8230\'85 refused the job. After I learned some of the details about the job. The situation. It caused a lot of confusion.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 She nodded. \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Sorry I interrupted. Your father briefed you?\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Yeah. And he told me \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  he laughed about it\u8230\'85\u8221\'94 Again he closed his eyes. \u8220\'93Quote, \u8216\'91If you ever have to deal with Mitch Snyder, just work the word Rossiter into the conversation.\u8217\'92\u8221\'94 }
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Rossiter? Like the little town?\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Yes.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93The judge had a camp there. He liked to\u8230\'85\u8221\'94 She waved a hand. \u8220\'93I don\u8217\'92t know. Chop wood, mow grass. Get away from people, I think.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93I don\u8217\'92t know what the significance of the word was,\u8221\'94 he said. \u8220\'93My father just told me what I told you, and by that point I was feeling very sketchy about the whole thing, so I didn\u8217\'92t ask for details.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Did you ever use it?\u8221\'94 she asked.}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Once, and I regretted it. A couple weeks after my dad died, when I was just accepting that I had to take this job, there was a crisis. A hunter trespassed on Folk land \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  walked past about a million signs \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  and\u8230\'85\u8221\'94 Again he hesitated. \u8220\'93Somebody shot at him. Shot him, actually. The bullet clipped his arm.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93You think they shot him?\u8221\'94 she asked. \u8220\'93Did that ever happen before?\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93I\u8217\'92d rather not talk about historic things, bad things, that I don\u8217\'92t have first-hand knowledge of. But I\u8217\'92ll say one of my first changes as steward was to have some serious fences put up, and they\u8217\'92re not there to keep the Folk in.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93They protect us English?\u8221\'94 She used the description some Amish used to describe non-Amish.}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 He nodded. \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Anyway, this guy complained to a sheriff\u8217\'92s deputy, who happened to be new to the area. That deputy wanted access to Folk land \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  which of course on paper looks like my land \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  and I refused. He went to Judge Snyder for a warrant.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93And you said, \u8216\'91Rossiter.\u8217\'92\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 Again he nodded. \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93It was the first time I\u8217\'92d ever met with him, and that word was kinda the first thing out of my mouth. Stupid. In retrospect, I think that was supposed to be some kind of nuclear option, break glass in case of emergency, but I was new on the job and kinda panicked.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93What did he do?\u8221\'94 she asked.}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Got very angry. Threw me out, and cited me for contempt. Fined me two hundred and fifty dollars. The citation said I\u8217\'92d been disrespectful, implied I\u8217\'92d cursed at him.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Textbook contempt of court,\u8221\'94 she said.}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 He continued, \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93But then he did what I wanted. Denied the warrant. Said the hunter was trespassing and there was no crime committed. That it was within a landowner\u8217\'92s rights to defend their property against an armed intruder who\u8217\'92d been reasonably warned he was trespassing, and there was no reason to investigate further, no justification to poke around my property.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 She considered. \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93That\u8217\'92s probably the right ruling. What he would have done anyway, if you\u8217\'92d reasoned with him rather than threatening him.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Yes. Which is what I did after that, the couple times things ended up in front of him. And after we put up the fences, Judge Snyder became gracious to me. I think he appreciated the fact that I was actively protecting his constituents.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93So your theory is that your father, or your grandfather, blackmailed him? Maybe about something that happened at his camp? Or is your theory that they bribed him, paid for the camp?\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93I don\u8217\'92t have a theory. I\u8217\'92ve told you everything I actually know, and I don\u8217\'92t want to speculate. Judge Snyder had a good reputation.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Pristine,\u8221\'94 she said. \u8220\'93And he deserved it.\u8221\'94 She glanced at her left wrist, which was bare, and then up at the kitchen clock. \u8220\'93Four am. I should get home before the girls wake up and catch me sneaking in in my pajamas.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Your husband doesn\u8217\'92t mind?\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 She shrugged. \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93We\u8217\'92re still trying to figure out this judge thing. He\u8217\'92ll raise an eyebrow\u8221\'94 \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  she demonstrated \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  \u8220\'93when I\u8217\'92m grumpy tomorrow, but he understands.\u8221\'94 Then she looked at him, her eyes widening. \u8220\'93Or did you mean he\u8217\'92d be jealous I\u8217\'92d spent the night with you?\u8221\'94 She shook her head. \u8220\'93He understood from Day One that you were a factor in my life. Well, not Day One, because he was around first, but\u8221\'94 \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  she waved a breezy hand \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0  \u8220\'93whatever.\u8221\'94 }
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 She stood, put the cookies away, and put her glass into the dishwasher. At the door she turned. \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Thanks. I need to think about this, how to handle your little people \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0 \u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Not people,\u8221\'94 he said.}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 She frowned. \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Not cattle, though. There\u8217\'92s a lot of established law regarding person hood \hich\f0 \emdash \loch\f0 \u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Kathy, they don\u8217\'92t want laws, not from Pennsylvania or the United States. They just want to be left alone.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 Her chest inflated, a tirade building. But then she slowly released the breath. \loch\af0\hich\af0\dbch\af0\uc1\u8220\'93Let me think, and then we\u8217\'92ll talk.\u8221\'94}
\par\plain {\f0\fs24\b0\i0 With a twiddle of her fingers she was out the door.}
\par\plain \f0\fs24\b0\i0}