Show youth hr ride M ic I 1 es W et S CHAPTER XII continued 16 A contusion of voices men jostling and pushing nil all about aboud tile me Shor shortys Bli ortya tys face shoved hoed close to nine mine shorty f which way did lie go eo ill never tell ill I 1 I 1 replied bore oie confusion some one had struck ille 1110 on oil tile the stele little of tile the head they aticy were forcone buck back my struggling iirma ling tny hands some ono one yell ing clint my illy horse was gone shorty ardt 01 tk i ling ing cavalry to saddle rind and stort A mice wits crying string him t ill ili I 1 constance speaking her tones lilting culling through the bobble babble llo hunt tit oh dont I 1 I 1 did it I 1 tell you 1 I I 1 did if it I 1 my aly own owl voice gasping ga stAng dyl it will be till all right I 1 mar vu us s tind buck ly by very authority clearing it hiie pi ie about tile ine marcus crying 0 no o lynching lunching lyn ching without it trial in ili till this citina I 1 constance tier her voleti voice controlled bow saying it Is ili not necessary to ouch ine ile gentlemen I 1 will eo 90 witt with nui u A hollow of guards forc hig ng us on oil 1 I remembering how flow the killer walked sulked to tits death trying to hold my lily head as high to moo my legs as firmly through tin an agitated hysterical crowd wo we popped into tile the door of the courthouse in it my lily picture of life major brown fill had been another dlin dim suggested hit bit tit of background I 1 know knew him abour ug our most reliable ns aR sayer us as tile first locator anto in the he rush ruah to hayden I 1 hill illia as a substantial person personage about caknip As they unbound me und and led we ine up tip to the twible anble at which lie rit bat in judgment I 1 lila ills face I 1 saw determination there but no mercy and my soul within cried out for merry mercy rather than for ruch justice as this court wits wan ild administering ministerIng they had seated Con constance in it chair beside the judges table odd that I 1 had not looked for tier her before that hysterical historical nion moment lent of tiers hers when they laid hands on me ine by the jail door had changed to a great stillness 1 I never saw a face and form of the I 1 living so quiet and so beautiful ter inn hands Is lay clasped in tier her lap but loosely I 1 they did not clutch or move I 1 lind had that morning imagined her oca eyes looking tit at M effle a across a courtroom with unutterable reproach they looked on me ine indeed but with no more emotion than la Is in the blue petal of a lower flower above oil all they were not afraid my aly little terrors tenors of the flesh van dished shall we try these prisoners ono one lit at a thile the man first asked major brown this was waa a miners court and democratic in its forma forin st I 1 perceived the judge merely presided pr constance stirred und and spoke at the majors maj fira words a buzz of debate had started in the rear of the room but her rich voice with the hie dropping syl inkles maled that 1 I pr prestine estime you tire lire trying this ann for letting your prisoner escape then I 1 should remain to testify because I 1 urn am wholly revon responsible sible I lint ts Is not true trite I 1 said as firmly ua its I 1 could 1 I did it alone tills this lady Is tryllis to ing to save mp me I 1 let jilin him go P there I 1 stopped how flow could 1 I without betraying heti living tier her sham V they had seated sea to ld constance in a chair beside the judges table ing and tier her say sn why I 1 did it j what excuse e could I 1 possibly in gentl ant I 1 clute led tit at it 11 one on be cai t mittit to dec him hanged flanged I 1 brought him it lu 1 I 1 added 1 I 1 taught baught t jilin him and 1 I li had ad a tu to let hlin him go major brown struel struck tile the table with ills ill gai gavel avi Til prisoner you lire are get getting ting ahead of lie proceedings he said suld gentlemen anderl the circumstances we anve better let this lady stu there was silence 1 I lie paused it moment very vel loAf lf no one objects clerk book the lie lady jie ile did not look at con und and neither did th clerk ns as pin file nn answered to the formal inquiries Coli constance kance deane beane sirs martin ros litter donne deone oi of providence rhode island lils his I 1 had never heard it before odd that I 1 should hear it first in n su cuch ch circumstances circumstance si 1 everything WAs odd even comically tom feally odd never have live I 1 been able to reconstruct in the events of tile llie wt next few they rhe y were gnp m u ly t 9 W ir i by 1 y will irwin C arlit by wilt will irwin ervice book I 1 was being sworn 11 constance deano deane sitting so BO quiet I 1 I 1 luul hall kisse d her ter once should 1 I ask to kiss tier her again ngali before I 1 wits talking I 1 must remember not to say oay that I 1 gave jilin iny illy lint hat and horse they might identify him by lily lint hat and my iny horse shorty lie he seemed to le be prosecutor wils ana asking me about that I 1 must dodge didgo I 1 was saying that it ivas was some bonie horse which stood by the jail and saying it badly they would never bellevo believe roe me marcus marcua wits was talking about my previous reputation A strange court I 1 they let advocates testify buck was talking about my reness and we will hear now from the lady indy I 1 I 1 said major brown I 1 came caine con conscious wide awake every sense preternatural ly IY acute A drawing of many breaths breatha agitated tile the room then its as constance rose absolute silence even outside tier her lips parted once or twice then sho she wits was speaking in that low lovely vol voice with its dripping pause between syllables and fluently in the first place gentlemen the mall who escaped a few minutes ago wits my illy martin it II deano deane I 1 married him filin in providence uvo five years ago 0 A shuffle of feet changing position it a composite au of breath like ozie one long sigh 1 I think you will allow that a wife in any circumstances should do what she elie call cah to savo save tier her husbands life of course you intended to ka alil him I 1 did not know until this athla morning what happened in town last nights night then I 1 learned I 1 suspected that you had find rny my husband lius band in jail I 1 reached the jail while whiles while you were killing the other an roan I 1 folt felt my husband had no chance I 1 saw an opportunity and I 1 released him 1 major crown brown sat with tits his eyes on oil tile the cover of judge cowans law book without looking up lie he asked mrs deane will you explain how flow you accomplished this tile the jail was guarded and gilson had the keys how flow does a woman make a man do anything ile he was alone in front of the file jail the other guards were watching what you were doing here she paused and drew a breath so deep held field it so long that I 1 tho thought tight bile would never release it then us as though realizing that blie must shrink from nothing site she went on the hanging I 1 mean mr air had captured my lily husband ile he know it was my husband J told him ile he Is illy friend ile he did not want to break my heart I 1 begged him I 1 entreated him I 1 nindo made him feel that it if you hanged my husband it would kill hill me ile he unlooked unlocked the door my husband got on mr air sons horse ile he has told you differently but if you believe him you must fiust believe thai tha lie he was at least uta an accomplice in stealing a horse how flow quick was tier her Intelli intelligence gencel 1 I 1 thought oft of that hati I 1 when lie he says saya it was some unknown horse lie he Is in only trying to make ray my husbands escape escapa more certain trying to save nio me and mine I 1 cannot lot let him 10 lo do that ile he tins has done enough ile he took tits his life in tits his hands like the gallant gall fint gentleman lie Is hut but I 1 rondo made him do it it if I 1 had asked she stopped there what site she had intended to say what site she had cut off with it a little intake in tier her breath I 1 could supply so I 1 think could the rest it was a boast of the power of tier sex BOX if I 1 had asked any otie buo of 3 sou ou I 1 with these eyes I 1 witt with tills this appeal of my lily youth and woman flood and goodness and grief what would you have dr clone no any man in the room must have read that in iii her bllance major brown cut in with ills dry unemotional tone mrs airs deanc how flow much have you yon find to do with your husbands operations in this bupt for the first time her smooth pallor broke into color As from a sudden intense flame fanne a spot burned instantly on elther cheek was instantly gone allowing tin ny iny husbands business here was vas criminal which 1 I do 10 not allow I 1 had nothing whatever to tit do with that I 1 havo have not communicated with him in tin an way except ns as I 1 have told you when we talked it t was only about coming horne home with me I 1 cannot prove tills this of course but you cannot prove the pont contrary again lied haf cheeks grew vivid melted nielse I 1 tu to pallor I 1 noted tills this on impulse but itsou if you hang anyone you should hang bring me ine I 1 did not see the end of what I 1 was dolak doing I 1 did not know that I 1 was nutting la in danger it tine fille brave goud good worth ten times ifer hor voice broke a lit little tie liere here but she ille raught ba back ck tier her sob and if you hung fiting him film you must hang I 1 me n e I 1 do not c care are to live rind and reallie realize what I 1 have done that Is nil firmly 0 constance sat down major brown lifted tits his face to the crowd opened ills his mouth to speak nut but buck shoving past marcus 5 stood to 0 d before the table gentlemen he said wit without eliout tile the formality of addressing tile the court before we do any botin ive gt got a few brief remarks to make concerning where we ive are nt at tills this vigilance committee wt formed just to give the lie boys u treat we wits was after we wanted to ma make e this liere here a decent camp and we took the only way there was soul some a day I 1 suppose this here linder al state Is coln tp to come sn sloin oIn round Inc lutrin into sheso proceedings cee ce virell they flud find that we bashed euson d in ili five tarantulas that was bet ter dead anyhow low no kick everybody satisfied weve had that bunch looked up tip goin on tiny law that ever was they nil all would a got a long term in an most moat of eni em the rope weve saved tile state n beall of board hut but youve struck a different question with tile the kid here iles hes lies hes good lies ilos helped make this hero here camp lie wua was lit in on tile carbonate carbon nto discovery lies iles been worl dil on tile the paper the bunch of crooks that wits was us lies iles got nerve I 1 know its ita all right to go gc up against a roan man with a gun in your hand hut blit I 1 dont see myself tackling a bandit barehanded bare banded like lie he done I 1 dunno alunno why lie he turned this here deane alias maxwell loose maybe im gu gressin guess essin ln as maybe you all are arc but I 1 dont know anyhow ny how if lie lid did it ini anken he had a good reason a d n 11 buck checked himself liere here vii allily tried to bite off the profane word lie ile had dropped in the presence of a lady judy no ono one answered him nt at first tile then shorty gave a growl preliminary to speech shut up Sh shorty 1 snapped buck it if anyone wanted to know why it was called harden hill not hill hilll the answer was here lor for shorty did shut up and buck continued 1 I aint coln to let it happen not if I 1 can call stop atop it the vigilance committee tins has worked so BO far IS you vou go on with these proceeding 4 two of us will take objection strong marcus handy and tile me ills partners and I 1 guess therell bo be others ot liers boys lets call tills this thing oft off of course nobody expects to do anything to the lady while were at it I 1 dont see any sense in chasing that husband of tiers here unless the boys have rounded jilin him up already weve got five out of six of the men we wanted doln da mighty well buck paused as aa though searching his vocabulary cab for the proper expression before he finished 1 I make that in tile the form of a motion you make what in the form of a motion I 1 inquired major brown dryly all them things vaguely responded buck it w wa a challenge bucks very Phy physical attitude suggested that although lie he had finished speaking lie ho did not move away from before the table but stood there straight and poised facing the crowd from the belt round the aalst of his store clothes hung his holstered 45 caliber revolver ills hand rested lightly suggestively ge on oil the butt voices broke out some of thern them but a minority my hopes honea told me angry arguing protesting 1 1 major brown rapped the room to order all in favor of hanging fi robert kobert gitson gilson for betraying the vigilance committee say aye silence tile the noes noca have lt it announced major brown unless there la Is a mor mo r tion to the contrary this court stands indefinitely adjourned CHAPTER XIII marcus handy and buck standing by to the end kept us in judge cowans courtroom until the vigilance committee had evaporated leaving us ua alone A ruffle of drums sounded without men were running and clamoring A shiver which jerked je aked it her er shoulders n against the back of her chair ran over the form of constance the ready un ferstanding standing der buck was first to see what this meant dont worry mrs mra deane he said that alite aint him the crook crooke E i being run out of town I 1 this time fascination stion drew us all to the wIn window doNy even constance there was no emotion left tn in tile me now except a vague curiosity my own languor of mind and soul to heighten my perceptions and from my night and day with tragedy I 1 carry away no pictures so vivid as that of tile the procession which emerged from the pioneer corral It marchl march t commented marcus briefly Curtal curtains nEf up on the last act of our show I 1 and into view marched the prisoners of the pioneer Plo neer corral conwayy Con ways stubble of beard had grown in tile the night ills his cheeks were as dark as a clit chimney niney sweeps but lie he faced tits ills disgrace with a calm and ais smile the gambler who had lost tits his nerve and got religion walked with ills his head down among the dirty and depraved camp follower pearl street were those who cringed as they cattle came under the eyes of our outraged city and those who still managed tn in the pose of head fiend and shoulders sho little rs to ex press defiance colliver Coll lver the lawyer walked straight tit glaring right and left ills hla eyes made te terrible r insane with suppress suppressed td anger A little indrawn oh ohl I 1 from constance the passage of red nell the powder on oil her cheeks lind find gathered dust during the night the spots spot ot rouge were no longer bright carmine but it dull it and n d dirty rt indian red tier her friezes frizzes fell ell in wisps over her forehead but red nell raged no nd longer she walked with tier her eyes down her hands clasped before tier her a ghastly and grotesque caricature of a malden maiden martyr led to the stake whatever womanly won tanty dignity re iu alneil to tier her had at the end of all tier her indignities come to the surface chris mcgrath was co coming ing anions among tits ills separate entitles entities I 1 this ii ili one wits was ne new w I 1 saw I 1 that in the first hash flash bo be fore my eye began to pick up details 1 hid shoulders E lin alders once ro co erectly dent in their carriage sagged na its though lie had suddenly crown of old d ills ilia steps stumbled ills hid head was bowed it did not imply y sullenness ss this averted gaze rather bather was it tile utti attitude tude of 0 a broken man who cannot bear |