Show youth rides rd i es west est CHAPTER XII continued it A confusion of voices men mem jostling abd nd pushing oil 11 II about me shortys Shor tys tic face bated close to aln shorty asking which way did he be go ril never neter delit I 1 replied more confusion some one hail had truck struck nic me on 00 the bide aide of the head tuy were forcing back my struggling arms no wag tyl my hands bands some one yell tag W that my horse was gone shorty ordering the cavalry to saddle raddle and stam A voice bolce was waa crying string him cupl app oona constance tance speaking her tones sharply through the babble dont oh dont I 1 I 1 did lt it I 1 tell you I 1 I 1 did UP my own voice gasping steady dyl I 1 it will be all right mar else and buck by very authority clearing a space about me marcus crying no H lynching lunching lyn ching without a trial in this emp I 1 constance her voice controlled saw w saying it Is not necessary to touch teach me gentlemen I 1 will go with you yi A hollow square of guards fore lag ing no J on 1 I remembering how bow the killer walked to his death trying to hold my head bead as high to move my lef lap as firmly through an agitated hysterical crowd we popped into the door of the courthouse in ID my joy picture of life major brown had been another dim suggested bit kt 64 background I 1 knew him as our most reliable assayer as the first locator la in the rush to hayden harden hill as a substantial personage about camp As they unbound we roe and led me up TIP to the table at which he sat in jud went I 1 studied his face I 1 saw raw determination there but no mercy and my by soul within cried out for mercy rather than tor for such justice as tills this court wan wait administering they had bad seated constance la in a chair beside the judges table odd urt that I 1 bad not dot looked lor for her before I 1 that hysterical moment of hers when they laid hands on oa me by the jail door bad changed to a great stillness I 1 never saw maw a face and form of the living so quiet and so beautiful her hands lay clasped in her lap but loosely they did not clutch or move I 1 had that morning imagined her eyes looking at me across a courtroom with unutterable reproach they looked on me indeed but with no more emotion than Is in the blue petal of a rower flower above all they were not afraid my little terrors of the flesh vanished k shall we try these prisoners one at t a time the man first asked major brown this was a miners court and democratic in its forms I 1 perceived the judge merely prodded constance stirred and spoke at the majors words a buzz of debate had started to in the roar of the room but her rich voice with the dropping syllables muted that 1 I presume you are trying this man for or letting your prisoner escape then I 1 should remain to testify be cause I 1 am wholly responsible that is I 1 not true I 1 said as firmly as I 1 could 1 I did it alone this lady ts Is trying to save me I 1 let him go because there I 1 stopped now how could 1 I without betraying her sharo sham they had stated seated constance Com in a chair bide the tha judges judg table ing DI and humiliating her say why I 1 did 11 it what excuse could I 1 possibly invent I 1 clutched clat ched at a weak one re be cause cau I 1 want to see him hanged I 1 brought hirn him in I 1 added 1 I caught mm him and I 1 had a right to let him go major brown struck the table with ith his bis ravel gavel prisoner you are letting getting ahead f tile the proceedings he be said under the circumstances we better let this lady stay there was at 1 lence once he paused a moment very well it if no one objects object clerk book the lady lie ile did not look at constance and neither did the clerk as mile fhe answered to the formal inquiries ton nonnce ance nce mrs lira martin rox lion loiter filer deane of providence rhode iland island ills name dane I 1 hull bad never heard it before odd that I 1 should hear it first jo much lurli circumstances everything as odd add even comically odd never me e I 1 been able to reconstruct in memory ill events of the anekt few tio un nuie they war nf moo A by will irwin copyright b by will arl WN U rolce book I 1 was being sworn constance beane sitting so quiet 1 I 1 had kissed her onre once should I 1 ask to kiss her again before 7 I 1 was talking I 1 must remember not to say that I 1 gave him my hat and horse they might identify him by ray my lint hat and my horse shorty he be seemed to be prosecutor was asking me about that I 1 must dodge dodge I 1 was saying that it was some horse which stood by the jail and saying it badly they would never believe me marcus was talking about my previous reputation A strange court they let advocates cates testify buck was talking about my square and we will hear now from the lady I 1 said major brown bron I 1 came conscious wide awake every sense preternaturally acute A drawing of many breaths agitated the room then as constance rose absolute silence even outside her lips parted once or twice then she was speaking in that low lovely voice with its dripping pause between syllables and fluently in the first place gentlemen tile lie man who escaped a few minutes ago was my husband martin R deane I 1 married him in providence five years ago A shuffle of feet changing position a composite suspiration of breath like one long sigh 1 I think you will allow that a wit wife e in any circumstances should do what she can to save her husbands life of course you intended to kill him I 1 did not know until this morning what happened in town last night then I 1 learned I 1 suspected that you had my husband in jail I 1 reached the jail while while you were killing the other man I 1 felt my husband had no do chance I 1 saw an opportunity and I 1 released him major brown sat fat with his eyes on the cover of judge cowans law book without looking up he asked mrs deane will you explain how you accomplished this the jail was guarded and guson gilson had the keys ilow how does a woman make a man do anything he was alone in front of abe jail the other guards were watching what you were doln doing here she paused and drew a breath so deep held it so long that I 1 thought she would neer release it then fie as though realizing that the she must shrink from nothing she went on the ilan hanging gi I 1 mean mr gilson had bad captured my husband he be know it 1 was my husband I 1 told him ile he Is tay my friend ue ile did not want to break my heart I 1 begged him I 1 entreated him I 1 made him feel that if you banged my husband it would kill me ile he unlocked tile door my husband got on mr Gil gillons sons horse lie he has told you differently but it you believe him you must believe that he be was at least an accomplice in stealing a horse how quick gulck was her intelligence Intelli gencel I 1 thought of that I 1 when he say it was some unknown horse he be Is in on only trying to make my husbands escape more certain trying to save me and mine I 1 cannot let him do that he has done enough he took his bla life in his hands like the gallant gentleman he be Is but I 1 made him do it if I 1 had asked she stopped there what she had intended to say what she had bad cut off with a little intake in her breath I 1 could supply so I 1 think could the rest it was a boast of the power of her sex if I 1 had bad asked any one of you I 1 with these eyes I 1 with this appeal of my y youth auth and womanhood and goodness and grief what would you have donel done any man lu in the room must have read that in her silence major brown cut in with lots his dry unemotional tone mrs deane how much have you had bad to do with willi your husbands operations in this lamp amp for tile the first time tier her smooth pallor broke into color As from it a sudden intense name flume a spot burned instantly on either cheek was instantly gone allowing my husbands business here was criminal which I 1 do not allow I 1 had nothing whatever to do with that I 1 ba hae e not communicated with him film in any way except as I 1 ba haie bae e told you when we talked it was only about coming horne home with me I 1 cannot prove this ihla of course but you cannot prove the contrary again her cheeks grow vivid melted to pallor gentlemen I 1 acted tills morning on oil impulse but it if you ilan han anyone you should hung hang me I 1 did not dot see the end of 0 what I 1 we was doing I 1 did dot know that I 1 was putting in dunger a fine brate braie good mail iuni worth ten times her voice broke a little liere here but abbe caught back her sob gob and if you hung bung him you mutt must hang me I 1 do not care to live and realize what I 1 have done that Is all firmly constance sat down major brown lifted fitted bin fare to the crowd opened ills dig mouth to speak rut but buck back shoving shaving past marcisz stood before the table gentlemen he said ald without the formality of addressing the court before we do any ive got a few brief remarks to ronke make concerning where arre we are at this vigilance committee formed just to give tile lie boys a treat W was wag after Boin so methin ethin we wanted to make this here a decent camp and we took the only way there was some day I 1 suppose this here imperial state Is coln coin to come ano snoop ln round In quirin into these pro wham they findt find that we in fire tarantulas tarantula that filet was wu hot bet ter dead anyhow no kick everybody satisfied weve had that bunch looked up lip coln on any law that ever was wa they nil all would a tot got a long lone term an most of em cm the rope weve saved tile the state mate a heap beep of board but youve struck a different quest question lon with th the alea ibell ed kid hero here hes hea hes heb good hes s helped make this here camp lie ile was voils in on the carbonate discovery hes been on the paper fightlin ieh figh tn tin the bunch of crooks that was runne us ui iles got nerve I 1 know its all right to so go up tip against a man with a gun in bour our hand but I 1 dont see myself tackling a bandit barehanded bare banded like he done I 1 dunno aundo why he turned tills this here deane alias maxwell loose maybe im gu gressin guess essin ln as mabbe you all are but I 1 dont know an anyhow flow if be did it im bankin lie he had a good reason reason a d n buck checked himself here tried to bite off the profane word lie had dropped in the presence of a lady no one answered him at first then gate a growl preliminary to speech shut up shorty orty snapped buck if anyone wanted to know why it was culled called landen hill not hill the answer as heie I for or shorty did shut up and buk buck continued 1 I aint coln to let it happen not it if I 1 can stop it the vigilance committee has worked harmonious so far if you go on with these proceedings theres two of us will take objection strong marcus handy and me ills his partners and I 1 guess therell he others boys lets call this thing off of course nobody expects to do anything g to the lady while were at it I 1 dont see any sense in chasing that husband of hers bers unless the boys have anve rounded him up already weve got five out of six of the men we wanted that botn do da mighty well black paused as though searching his vocabulary cab for the proper parliamentary expression before lie finished 1 I make that to in the form of a motion lon you make what in the form of a motion inquired major brown dryly all them things vaguely responded buck it was a challenge bucks very physical attitude suggested that although he be had finished speaking he be did not move away from before the table but stood there straight and poised facing the crowd from the belt round the waist of his store clothes hung bung his bis bolstered 45 revolver ills hand rested lightly suggestively ge on the butt britt voices broke out some of them but a minority my hopes told me angry arguing protesting major brown rapped the room to order all in favor of banging robert oil off son for betraying the vI vigilance gUance committee say aye silence the noes have hav it announced major brown unless there to Is a motion modon 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 bad evaporated leaving us alone A ruffle of drums sounded without men were running and clamoring A shiver which jerked her shoulders against the back of her chair ran over the form of constance the ready understanding der buck was first to see gee what this meant worry mrs deane he be said gald that aint him the crooks crook s being run ran out of town I 1 this time fascination drw drew us all to the window even constance there warno emotion left in me now except a vague curiosity ray my own languor of mind and soul seemed to heighten my perceptions and from my night and day with tragedy I 1 carry away no pictures so vivid as that of the procession which emerged from the pioneer corral It bogues Ko gues inal marih 00 commented marcus briefly curtains up on the last act of our show and into view marched the prisoners of the pioneer corral conwayy Con ways stubble of beard had grown in tile the night ills his cheeks were as dark as a chimney sweeps hut but he fie faced his disgrace with a calm calin and humorous smile the gambler ga who had lout lost his nerve and got rell religion gInn walked with his film bead down among the dirty and depra depraved oed camp followers of pearl street were those who fringed cringed as an they came under tinder the ees of our outraged city and those who still managed in tile the pose poe of head and shoulders to express de defiance flance colliver the lawyer walked straight glaring right and left ills eyes made terrible Ini iune with suppressed anger A 11 little it le indrawn oh from Cono constan constane anee e signaled the he passage of red nell neil the powder on oil tier her cheeks actu eks had gathered dust during tile night the spots of rouge were no longer bright carmine but a dull sod and dirty indian red her friezes frizzes fell in whips over her forehead but red nell raged DO longer she walked with her eyes down her hands clasped before lier it a ghastly and grotesque carl caricature of a maiden martyr led to the stake make whatever womanly dignity remained to her had bad at the end of oil all her indignities come to the surface chris mcgrath was coming among his separate entitles entities tills one was new I 1 saw that in the first rush flash before my eye began to pick up details df tull ills his shoulders once so erectly confident in their carriage sagged g ed As an abou b be hid suddenly tuil bud denly grown old film HI steps tumbled stumbled Ws HI bead wu was bowed it did not imply sullenness this averted pim gaze rather wu was it the attitude of a broken man who cannot bear to look upon disgrace dl grace I 1 under stood the policy of self preservation which marcus karens handy had been applying to this enemy of his to expel the old self felt reliant chris mcgrath from i camp was wag equivalent to prolonging trouble he was bound to come back when opportunity served and to shoot but his hl night of mental horrors in tile the pioneer corral the might bight of the 1 lunching lynching lyn ch ching g t the h v very psychological p q y eh 0 i 0 g 1 ea i w weight e 1 g ll 11 t ini efti ein iery 0 of p public ab e 0 opinion p b had a d 0 served e r v e d t to 0 break b r e a k his spirit I 1 remember hirn him as I 1 saw him first when he be stopped the lynch ing in the black jack a dominant dominan heroic figure dowered cowered with a compelling masculine charm and found it in my heart to pity him bin after all he was only misplaced ills virtues of courage decision generosity to his alii fi lends ends rough personal good fellowship his faults of rampant individuality and muddled moral distinctions they belonged to tile the old era of gun law sudden udden offhand cottonwood had entrusted this anachronism with |