Part 19 (2/2)
A heavy foot struck the porch, a heavy hand beat a summons on the door.
Ollie's white dress gleamed a moment in the dark pa.s.sage leading to the stairs, the flying end of her veil glimmered.
”Come in,” called Joe.
Sol Greening, their neighbor, whose gate was almost opposite Isom's, whose barn was not eighty rods from the kitchen door, stood panting in the lamplight, his heavy beard lifting and falling on his chest.
”What--what's happened--who was that shootin'--Isom! G.o.d A'mighty, is he hurt?”
”Dead,” said Joe dully, standing hat in hand. He looked dazedly at the excited man in the door, whose mouth was open as he stared fearfully at the corpse.
”How? Who done it?” asked Greening, coming in on tiptoe, his voice lowered to a whisper, in the cautious fas.h.i.+on of people who move in the vicinity of the sound-sleeping dead. The tread of living man never more would disturb old Isom Chase, but Sol Greening moved as silently as a blowing leaf.
”Who done it?” he repeated.
”He did,” answered Joe.
”_He_ done it!” repeated Greening, looking from the rifle, still clutched in Isom's hand, to the gold in the crook of his arm, and from that to Joe's blanched face. ”_He_ done it!”
”Jerking down the gun,” explained Joe, pointing to the broken rack.
”Jerkin' down the gun! What'd he want--look--look at all that money! The sack's busted--it's spillin' all over him!”
”He's dead,” said Joe weakly, ”and I was going after the doctor.”
”Stone dead,” said Greening, bending over the body; ”they ain't a puff of breath left in him. The doctor couldn't do him no good, Joe, but I reckon----”
Greening straightened up and faced Joe, sternly.
”Where's Missis Chase?” he asked.
”Upstairs,” said Joe, pointing.
”Does _she_ know? Who was here when it happened?”
”Isom and I,” said Joe.
”G.o.d A'mighty!” said Greening, looking at Joe fearfully, ”just you and him?”
”We were alone,” said Joe, meeting Greening's eyes unfalteringly. ”We had some words, and Isom lost his temper. He jumped for the gun and I tried to stop him, but he jerked it by the barrel and the hammer caught.”
”Broke his neck,” said Greening, mouth and eyes wide open; ”broke it clean! Where'd that money come from?”
”I don't know,” said Joe; ”I didn't see it till he fell.”
”Words!” said Greening, catching at it suddenly, as if what Joe had said had only then penetrated his understanding. ”You and him had some words!”
”Yes, we had some words,” said Joe.
<script>