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Show Youth Rides West . i CHAPTER XII Continued 16 A confusion of voices. Men Jostling mill pushing a 1 1 about me. .Shorty's face shoved close to mine; Shorty asking : 'Which wny did lie go?" "I'll never tell !" I replied. Mure confusion. Some one h:il struck me on tlie Klile of t!ii- li'-;nl. Tliey were forcing buck my struggling si i i tying my bunds. Some one yelling yell-ing Unit my horse was gone. Shorty ordering he cavalry to saddle and Hlnrl. A voice was crying: "Siring lilni lip!" Constance speaking, her tones -u 1 1 i ii K sharply through tlie bubble: "lion'l oh, don't! I did it, I tell yon ! I did It I" My own voice gasping: "Shady! It will be nil right!" .Marcus .Mar-cus and J'.uck hy very aulhority clearing clear-ing u spurn ahout me. Marcns crying: "No lynching without a trial in this camp!" Constance, her voire controlled now, saying: "It Is not necessary to touch mo, gentlemen. I will go with you." A hollow Ktpinre of guards forcing forc-ing us on ; I, remembering how the Killer walked to his denlh, trying to hold my hand as high, to move my legs us firmly. Through mi agitated, hysterical crowd we popped Into the door of the courthouse. In my picture of life, Major Brown had heen unolher dim, suggested hit of hackgrouiul. I knew him us our most reliable ussayer, us the first locator lo-cator In the rush to Ilayden hill, us a substantial personage ahout camp. As they unbound nie and led me up to the tnlde (it which he sat In Judgment, Judg-ment, I studied his face. I saw determination de-termination there, hut no mercy. And my soul within cried out for mercy rather than for such justice as this court was administering. They hud seated Constance In a ehnlr beside the judge's table odd that I had not looked for her before ! That hysterical moment of hers when they laid hands on me by tlie jail door had changed to a great stillness. I never saw 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 had that morning Imagined her eyes looking at iTle across a courtroom with unutterable reproach. They looked on me, indeed ; but with no more emotion emo-tion than Is in the blue petal of a llower. Above all, they were not afraid. My little terrors of the flesh vanished. van-ished. "Shall we try these prisoners one at a time the man first?" asked Major Brown. This was a miners' court, and democratic in its forms, I perceived. The Judge merely presided. pre-sided. Constance stirred and spoke. At the major's words, a buzz of debate had started in the rear of the room. But her rich voice with the dropping syllables syl-lables muled that : "I presume you are trying this man for letting your prisoner escape? Then I should remain to testify. Because Be-cause I am wholly responsible." "That is not true," I said, as firmly as I could. "I did it alone. This lady is trying to save me. I let him go. Because " There ' I stopped. How could I, without betraying her, sham- Iflfl1 They Hr,d Seated Constance In a Chair Beside the Judge's Table. ing and humiliating her, say why I did it? What excuse could I possibly Invent? In-vent? I clutched at a weak one. "Because "Be-cause I didn't want to see him hanged. I brought, him In," I added. "I caught him. And I had a right to let him go." Major Brown struck tlie table witli his gavel. "l'risoner. you are getting ahead of the proceedings," lie said. "Gentlemen, under the circumstances hadn't we better bet-ter let this lady stay?" There was silence, si-lence, lie paused a moment. "Very well, if no .one objects. Clerk, book the lady." He did not look at Constance, Con-stance, and neither did tlie clerk, as she answered to tlie formal inquiries: "Constance Deane Mrs. Martin Ros-siler Ros-siler Deane of Providence, Rhode Island." Is-land." His name! I had never heard it he-, fore. Odd that I should hear It first in such circumstances ! Everything was odd ; even comically odd. Never have I been able to reconstruct in lermory the events of the next few minutes. They were handing me a ' By Will Irwin Copyright by "Will Irwin WN'U Service hook. I was being sworn. Constunce Deane sitting so quiet! I had kissed tier once. Should I ask to kiss her again before ? I was talking. I must remember not to say that I gave lilm my hat and horse. They might Identify him hy my hat and my horsu. Shorty he seemed to tie prosecutor was asking me about that. I must dodge, dodge. I was saying say-ing that It was some horse which stood hy the jail. And saying it badly. They would never believe me. Marcus was talking. About my previous reputation. reputa-tion. A strange court! They let advocates advo-cates testify. Buck was talking. About my squareness. And : "We will hear now from the lady!" said Major Brown. I came conscious, wide awake, every sense preternutural-ly preternutural-ly acute. A drawing of many breaths agitated tlie room; then, ns 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, the man who escaped a few minutes ago was my husband Martin It. Deane. 1 married him in Providence five years ago." A shuffle of feet changing position ; a composite suspiration of breath like one long sigh. "I think you will allow that a wife in any circumstances should do what she can to save her husband's life. Of course, you intended to kill him. I did not know until this morning wdiat happened in town last night. Then I learned I suspected that you had my husband In jail. I readied the jail while while you were killing the other man. I felt my husband had no chance. I saw an opportunity. And I released him." .Major Brown sat with his eyes on the cover of Judge Cowan's law book. Without looking up, he asked: "Mrs. Deane, will you explain how you accomplished this? The jail was guarded, and Gilson had tlie keys." "How does a woman make a man do anything? He was alone in front of tlie jail. The other guards were watching watch-ing what you were doing." Here she paused and drew a breath so deep, held it so long, that I thought she would never release it. Then, as though realizing that she must shrink from nothing, she went on. "The hanging, hang-ing, I mean. Mr. Gilson had captured my husband. He didn't know It was my husband. I told him. He is my friend. He did not want to break my heart. I begged him. I entreated him." I made him feel that if you hanged my husband, it would kill me. He unlocked un-locked tlie door. My husband got on Mr. Gilson's horse. He has told you differently. But if you believe him, you must believe that he was at least an accomplice in stealing a horse." How -quick was her intelligence! I hadn't thought of that! "When he says it was some unknown horse, he is only trying to make my husband's escape more certain trying to save me and mine. I cannot let him do that. He lias done enough. He took his life in his hands like tlie gallant, gentleman be is. But I made him do it. If I had asked " She stopped there. What she had intended to say, what she had cut off with a little intake in her breath, I could supply. So, I think, could the rest. Jt was a boast of the power of her sex. "If I had asked any one of you I with these eyes, I with tlis appeal of my youth and womanhood woman-hood and goodness, and grief what would you have done?" Any man iu the room must have read that in her silence. Major Brown cut in with his dry, unemotional tone: "Mrs. Deane, how much have you had to do with your husband's operations opera-tions in this .tmp?" For the first time her smooth pallor broke into color. As from a sudden, intense flame, a spot burned instantly on either cheek, was instantly gone. "Allowing thui my husband's business busi-ness here was criminal which I do not allow I had nothing whatever to do with that. I have not communicated with him in any way except as I have told you. When we talked, it was only about coming home with me. I cannot prove this, of course. But you cannot - prove the contrary." Again her cheeks grew vivid, melted to pallor. "Gentlemen, I acted this morning on impulse; but if you hang anyone, you should hang me. I did not see tlie end of what I was doing. I did not know that I was putting in danger dan-ger a line, brave, good mail, worth ten times " Her voice broke a' little here, but she caught back her sob. "And if you hang him, you must hang me. I do not care to live and realize what I have done. That is all." Firmly, Constance sat down Major Brown lifted his face to the crowd, opened his mouth to speak. But Buck, .shoving past Marcus, stood before the table. "Gentlemen." he said without the formality of addressing tlie court, "before "be-fore we do any votin' I've got a few brief remarks to make concerning where we are at. This vigilance committee com-mittee wasn't formed just to give tlie boys a treat. We was after somethin'. We wanted to make this here a decent camp. And we took tlie only way there was. Some day, I suppose, tiiis here imperial state is goin' to come snoopin' round inquirin' into-these proceedings. pro-ceedings. What'll they find? That we cashed in live tarantulas that was bet ter dead anyhow. No kick. Everybody satisfied. We've had that bunch looked up. Coin' on any law that ever was, they all would 'a' got a long term, an' most of 'em the rope. We've saved Hie state a heap of board. But you've struck a different question with tlie kid here. He's lie's good, lie's helped niake this here camp. He was in on the carbonate discovery. He's been workin' on tlie paper fightin' the bunch of crooks that was runiiin' us. He's got nerve. I know. It's all right to go up against a man with a gun in your hand. But I don't see myself tackling a bandit barehanded like lie done. I dunuo why he turned this here Deane, alias Maxwell, loose. Maybe May-be I'm guessin', as maybe you all are, but I don't know. Anyhow, if he did it. I'm bankin' lie had a good reason, a d n " Buck checked himself here, vainly tried to bite off the profane word he had dropped in the presence of a lady. No one answered him at first. Then Shorty gave a growl, preliminary to speech. "Shut up, Shorty!" snapped Buck. If anyone wanted to know why it was called Ilayden hill, not Croly's hill, the answer was here. For Shorty did shut up ; and Buck continued : "I ain't goin' to let it happen. Not If I can stop it. Tlie vigilance committee com-mittee has worked harmonious so far. If you go on with these proceedings, there's two of us will take objection, strong. Marcus Handy and me, his partners. And I guess there'll be others. Boys, let's call tills tiling off. Of course, nobody expects to do anything any-thing to the lady. While we're at it, I don't see any sense in chasing that husband of hers unless tlie boys have rounded him up already. We've got five out of six of the men we wanted". That's doin' da mighty well." Buck paused as though searching his vocabulary vo-cabulary for the proper parliamentary expression before he finished : "I make that in tlie form of a motion." "You make what in the form of a motion?" inquired Major Brown dryly. "All them things," vaguefy responded respond-ed Buck. It was a challenge. Buck's very physical attitude suggested that. Although Al-though he had finished speaking, he "did not move away from before the table but stood there straight and poised, facing the crowd. From tlie belt round the waist of his store clothes hung his bolstered 45-caliber revolver. His hand rested lightly, suggestively, sug-gestively, on the butt. Voices broke out ; some of them but a minority, my hopes told me angry, arguing, protesting. pro-testing. Major Brown rapped the room to order. "All in favor of hanging Robert Gilson Gil-son for betraying the vigilance committee, com-mittee, say 'aye.' " Silence. "The 'noes' have it," announced Major Brown. "Unless there is a motion mo-tion to tlie contrary, this court stands indefinitely adjourned." CHAPTER XIII Marcus Handy and Buck, standing by to the end, kept us in Judge Cowan's courtroom until tlie vigilance committee had evaporated, leaving us alone. A ruffle of drums sounded without; men were running and clamoring. A shiver which jerked her shoulders against tlie back of her chair ran over the form of Constance. The ready, understanding un-derstanding Buck was first to see what this meant. "Don't worry, Mrs. Deane," he said, "that ain't him. That's the crooks being run out of town !" This time, fascination drew us all to the window, even Constance. There, was no emotion left in me now except a vague curiosity ; my own languor of mind and soul seemed to heighten my perceptions; and from my night and day with tragedy I carry away no pictures pic-tures so vivid as that of the procession proces-sion which emerged from the Pioneer corral. "Rogue's march 1" commented Marcus Mar-cus briefly. "Curtain's up on tlie last act of our show !" And into view marched the prisoners of the Pioneer corral. Conway's stubble of beard had grown in the night. His cheeks were as dark as a chimney sweep's; but he faced his disgrace with a calm and humorous smile. The gambler who had lost his nerve and got religion walked with his head down. Among the dirty and depraved camp followers of Pearl street were those who cringed as they came under the eyes of our outraged city, and those who still managed in tlie pose of head and' shoulders to express ex-press defiance. Colliver, tlie lawyer, walked straight, glaring right and left. Ills eyes made terrible, insane, witli suppressed anger. A little, indrawn in-drawn "Oh !" from Constance signaled the passage of Red Nell. The powder on her cheeks had gathered dust during dur-ing the night; the spots of rouge were no longer bright carmine, hut a- dull and dirty Indian red. Her frizzes fell in wisps over her forehead. But Red Nell raged no longer. She walked with her eyes down, her hands clasped before be-fore her. a ghastly and grotesque caricature cari-cature of a maiden martyr led to the stake. Whatever womanly dignity remained re-mained to tier had at the end of ail her indignities come to tlie surface. Chris McGrath was coming; among his separate entities, tiiis one was new. I saw that iu the first flash, before be-fore my eye began to pick up details. His shoulders, once so erectly confident confi-dent in their carriage, sagged as though be Liau suddenly grown old. His steps stumbled. His head was bowed. It did not Imply sullenness, this averted gaze. Rather was it the attitude of a broken man who cannot bear to look upon disgrace. I understood under-stood the policy of setf-preservutton which Marcus Handy had been applying apply-ing to this enemy of his. To expel tlie old, self-reliant Chris McGrath from camp was equivalent to prolonging trouble. lie was bound to come back when opportunity served, and to shoot. But his night of mental horrors in tlie Pioneer corral, the sight of tlie lynching, tlie very psychological weight of public opinion, had served to break his spirit. I remember him as I saw him first when he stopped tlie lynching lynch-ing in tlie Bfack Jack a dominant, heroic figure, dowered with a compelling com-pelling masculine charm and found It in my heart to pity him. After all, he was only misplaced. His virtues of courage, decision, generosity to Ids friends, rough personal good fellowship; fellow-ship; his faults of rampant individuality individ-uality and muddled moral distinctions they belonged to the old era of gun law. Sudden, offhand Cottonwood had entrusted this anachronism with enforcing en-forcing that book law to which our camp and all the West must necessarily necessar-ily come In the end. His night of horror hor-ror and disgrace and spiritual loneliness loneli-ness may have given him black understanding, under-standing, taught him that he had been fighting the current of the human spirit. That, possibly, explained the change in him. ne was not so much terrified as overwhelmed. At any rate, Cottonwood never heard from him again. Years later, I picked up the remaining threads. He had become a drifter from camp to camp, a protector of gamblers, a dangerous drunkard, until a shot in a brawl at Miles City finished his career. He passed like the grizzly ; crushed by progress. 'Chris McGrath marched between solid lines of crowd, his bent head now visible, now concealed. A phalanx of vigilante guards followed ; the crowd closed in behind ; tlie Rogue's march stopped, to be succeeded by the beat of the drums ; the deposed king of Cottonwood had passed from his kingdom. king-dom. "Where are you sending her?" asked . Constance. "Wagon's waiting to take 'em over tlie range to Plested's, all comfortable, and drop 'em," replied Marcus. "Will she " began Constance, and stopped. For a horseman loped down the street, pulled up at the door of the courthouse, threw his bridle over a lathered head, strode within. The hands of Constance went together ; I, who had thought there was no emotion left in me, found my breath coming and going in great sighs. "Boss," began the messenger then 'saw Constance and me, paused. "Ail right," said Marcus, "go ahead. These people are safe they're acquitted." ac-quitted." "Well, we've got no line on where he went," said the horseman. "Trails is too d n trampled. He started clown the Ludlow pass road all right. After that, we loses him. What we need's a regular tracker. Wasn't one In the whole d n outfit." "Let's see," mused Marcus. "Boys' pretty tired, I suppose?" "Dead !" said the messenger. "Look at me. Up all night. And done a hard day's work yesterday. Horses too." "All right," announced Marcus. "They're ordered to come in and put up their horses." He paused. "I've already al-ready taken other measures to have our man followed tell 'em that." "Best news I've heard today!" commented com-mented the messenger as, with a haste betraying fear lest Marcus should change lils mind, he shot through the door, remounted, loped away. "Another public embarrassment removed re-moved from the path of progress, as Henry Ward Beecher would say," remarked re-marked Marcus. "If tlie boys had brought him in, I don't believe this camp would have wanted to hang him now. Buck, guess our job's done." Buck and I were looking not at him, however, but at Constance. Across her pallor a flush was mounting, as when the rose-dawn touches the snows of tlie Divide; in her deep-blue eyes a light was shining as when the sunrise strikes on mountain lakes. She held out hands the right to Buck, the left to Marcus who took them sheepishly. Buck, indeed, started tlie pumphandle motion of a handshake ; then, as he perceived that her gesture meant more than that, retained her hand ; and a blush inflamed his tanned brow. So she stood for a moment, looking from one to the other. "I have had friends," she said. "And perhaps you wouldn't like to have me call you friends. But I never dreamed that I should ever ask any friend to do for me .what you two wonderful men have done today. I can't thank you. It would be ridiculous to try. But if you ever want anything I can do or can't do let me " She broke off; her eyes became lakes indeed; she released their hands. "It's all right 'twasn't nothing I Buck managed to say. "I'd do it again for you and more, Mrs. Deane," began the readier Marcus Mar-cus "You're" but tlie lakes were overflowing. Buck first, then Marcus, backed out of the room. "I want to cry, Robert," said Constance. Con-stance. "Don't-try to comfort m please. Just watch to see if anyone's any-one's coming " So I stood for a long time, as It seemed to me, and studied Main street as it settled down to normal. The voice of Constance, sweet with passing tears, spoke behind me. "I think I'd better go home now," she said. 'I'm going with you." I replied. She hesitated, as though restrained bv some little, Instinctive fear of the proprieties; then, as realizing how ridiculous that was in tlie face of our situation, smiled firmly now and replied: re-plied: 'Po I want, of course, to tell you everything." So we walked together into Main street. Naturally we attracted attention. atten-tion. I could feel with the back of my head that the crowd about Doc Evans' Ev-ans' window had turned from that old sensation to this new one. had stared and pointed. Now and then a head "Don't Worry, Mrs. Deane," He Said, "That Ain't Him." craned from a window, or I heard a rush Of feet at a doorway. Eyes ahead, we walked in silence up the familiar path should I ever tread it again? to Mrs. Barnaby's. Constance was not entirely reassured reas-sured that Deane had escaped. I must needs give her comfort on that. Once I asked: "What you said before they arrested me you mean that," Constance?" Con-stance?" She answered: "I meant it then. I mean it now. I mean it forever!" for-ever!" But we did not then kiss or clasp hands, as unfettered lovers may after such words ; only sat for a time silent and looked at each other. A spurt of sleep or what resembled sleep ; when I came out of It, feverishly fever-ishly awake, she was talking: " my own fault, my very own in the beginning, Robert. A little of it sin if you want to call it that. The rest just folly. Perverse folly. I was only seventeen when I eloped with him from Miss Gorham's academy at Providence. Prov-idence. That was the beginning. I shan't lay that to anyone else. But I will tell you how it happened : "We lived at Warwick do you know it? A little old Rhode Island town. The family had been there forever. for-ever. My mother was younger than my father. She died when I was six years old. I had no brothers or sisters. sis-ters. "My father married again a beautiful beauti-ful woman, a brilliant woman, but unbalanced. un-balanced. Perhaps insane. I wouldn't have had the charity to make that excuse ex-cuse for her once. I hated her. But I think, now, I shall never hate anyone any-one else so long as I live. She was cruel to me insanely cruel because she was jealous. I have been beaten, terribly beaten, in my day, Robert,. But more than that. The trick of putting put-ting me in the wrong. . . . Perhaps that was why father sent me away to school to Miss Gorham's in Providence. Provi-dence. From the time I was seven until I was seventeen just school. At first I came home for the holidays. But finally she spoiled even that. She had a terrible hold on father. I can understand that, too. She was a beautiful beau-tiful creature. (TO BE CONTINUED.) |