Show I Plumb Center I Ry fly JAMES HILL f fe C G McClure S N w U I Tiff Jury flied filed ll In III A piper paper us u 1111 I A passed and nUll the clerk rn rove rose l' l to to J read We Ite the tile Jur Jury find Dud the de ll I guilty of manslaughter Manslaughter I The spectators I leaned lenne-d back buck with a 1 sigh The yen en erable enable cleared his throat and asked askell the prisoner to rise Dan knew that he lusted hated Nate but the Jurys Jury's decision pave gave him nn odd olM shod shock Through h the dramatic days of or the hie trial he lie had hud waited wailed for the conviction of the toll tall mountaineer whoso whose e pare gaze had hH lII mulct met t his bis o n eyes eves at Infrequent In In- Dan Dann n nl sure that there thre had b been n n secret humor In Iu those dear clear e eyes tes es but hut If Hankin Knew why It didn't the man speak out out 1 lute Ills hand bind faintly trembled ns h he rubbed the soreness was so III continuous In his eyeballs this hits last st year ear Something Inside him urged him to act act act-act act now Rut Hut again that Insidious tear rear lucid held him In Its paralyzing grip And nd then If It Nate IIII went ent to prison there bore be he no one to prevent met out his bis I to Cynthia nankin's ln objection to the mar lUar marriage had been bused based on nn an old film fain lly lIy feud full Dan and nial C Cynthia had land Icon been fen more than willing to forget this feud of ot their ancestors but tilt thus father remained And for fur tills this reason Dan hinted bated him The Judge was as speaking 11 Nate Ills Honor HOllor spoke lIole slowly Iy the he Jury jur has found you jou on guilty of manslaughter This decision Imposes Im Inn poses a II mandate of punishment Those There Is no need to defer the Iho pronouncement pro pro- pronouncement of or sentence lava Have you jou ou anything to My Dan waited breathlessly for the to speak Only one other man lUan lead had Dan Dnn l Kilraine ever err hinted bated Martin Whitehead White White- head hend the dead gambler had hind shot down Hans Han's fn father In cold blood when the boy hoy was wag only five fi Dan hind had never forgotten nod when he heard that hint the lime gambler had hind been making Insinuating remarks about Cynthia to the on hangers In his saloon the lime hate flamed Into Inlo a definite resolve And now was dead lIcad and Nate Rankin convicted of his murder The Tha evidence had been purely circumstantial The prison er cr had hall been heard to threaten the dead man mar on the day lIny of ot the tha murder and aull had hind later hater been caught near Dear the hod body but no gun had been found He lye hind had admitted owning o a pistol of ot time the same caliber which i fired Ored the fatal shot SilO but he lie claimed It lead had disappeared lIe He would say nothing nothIng nothIng noth noth- Ing further except that he be was not guilty Hankin now stood silent Very well well the Judges Judge's voice droned on Oil I therefore sentence you ou Something exploded In thin Dan mI KII mines mine's head lie He was on n his feet fee Walt I I He Ise realized this tide screaming voice olce was his hula own Hankin Is not guilty Vo Yo Honah Ilona he shouted I am the one I killed Martin Whitewood I I 1 He Ile almost ran down own the aisle to tile the little Inclosure The entire room I held the stillness of death Dans Dan's hand reached under his armpit anddrew and anddrew drew rew out a large old old fashioned revolver re volver This he slid over the tha table to the prosecuting attorney whose bose usually cynical face fuce was a picture of ot blank astonishment That gun killed Whitewood Dans Dan's voice was now low but clear Hit alit belonged to my father tather Whitewood White White- wood murdered him seventeen se ago ogo I nevah so when I was told he ss was as I shot and killed him If It Vo Yo Honah please Nato Nate was speaking In his hla rich mountain drawl I do hev to say and would like right sight well welt to say hit hilt now DOW lIe He turned to the courtroom C n thy come heah his voice wn wile wa soft but commanding A girl of ot perhaps twenty dressed In the tha homely garments of ot the bill people rose and came forward Shen She n walked with the tho springy lightness of ot open spaces and ond the face tace under the tho long hair was exceptionally pretty s The Time tall toll man pointed to the prosecutor prose f tutor Give Che Mr Jackson Jockson throb I my gun gun he Instructed the girl 1 She blushed but stooped quickly I and drew from under her skirt a abig t big I 44 revolver strikingly similar r to the one Dan bad had shoved across t L the table a few tew minutes before t t met Is the time reason the sheriff sheri l I couldn't find my gun gun explained ex ex- 1 plumed d with an apologetic smile hit next hed her he heri i Cynthy has haa worn r d i I body evah euh since the night I killed r Whitewood I killed him fo to goo coo good d I cause cause and thet II In is the reason I 1 J i I I pleaded not guilty guilt 1 I He lIe paused and looked hooked at DUI Dai n nI quizzically I 1 always kill m my OW hogs bogs Dan Then be Le smiled a as tin thE 1 I young man stared back fascinated 1 I Dan he said yore yoro a fine fino man even en If It you are a I goes guess I Cynthy can make out with yub yuh al alt right It t turned to face tace the of old D Judge Theah was only one on shun 1 of of lead in Whitewood To Yo Jonah D He lie spoke deliberately Dar Dai missed his bis eyes eres aint so 10 good late ly I was only ten raMs away an anI amI am anc ancI I can hit bit a dime plumb a e fifty feet We boHi bott tired fired In th thE c same lame Instant suh 3 II |