Part 22 (1/2)

Boggs rode up before the biggest store in town, and bent his head down so he could see under the curtain of the awning and yells:

”Come out here, Sherburn! Come out and meet the man you've swindled

You're the houn' I'wyne to have you, too!”

And so he went on, calling Sherburn everything he could lay his tongue to, and the whole street packed with people listening and laughing and going on By and by a proud-looking man about fifty-five?and he was a heap the best dressed man in that town, too?steps out of the store, and the crowd drops back on each side to let hihty ca'm and slow?he says:

”I'm tired of this, but I'll endure it till one o'clock Till one o'clock, ainst me only once after that time you can't travel so far but I will find you”

Then he turns and goes in The crowd looked hing Boggs rode off blackguarding Sherburn as loud as he could yell, all down the street; and pretty soon back he co it up Soet him to shut up, but he wouldn't; they told him it would be one o'clock in about fifteen ht away But it didn't do no good He cussed aith all his ht, and throwed his hat down in thedown the street again, with his gray hair a-flying Everybody that could get a chance at him tried their best to coax hiet hiain, and give Sherburn another cussing By and by soo for his daughter; sometimes he'll listen to her If anybody can persuade him, she can”

So somebody started on a run I walked down street a ways and stopped

In about five or ten ain, but not on his horse He was a-reeling across the street towards me, bare-headed, with a friend on both sides of hi

He was quiet, and looked uneasy; and he warn't hanging back any, but was doing sos!”

I looked over there to see who said it, and it was that Colonel Sherburn He was standing perfectly still in the street, and had a pistol raised in his right hand?not ai it out with the barrel tilted up towards the sky The sa on the run, and two s and the men turned round to see who called him, and when they see the pistol the men jumped to one side, and the pistol-barrel cogs throws up both of his hands and says, ”O Lord, don't shoot!” Bang! goes the first shot, and he staggers back, clawing at the air?bang! goes the second one, and he turound, heavy and solid, with his arirl screa, and down she throws herself on her father, crying, and saying, ”Oh, he's killed him, he's killed him!” The crowd closed up around them, and shouldered and ja to see, and people on the inside trying to shove theive him air!”

Colonel Sherburn he tossed his pistol on to the ground, and turned around on his heels and walked off

They took Boggs to a little drug store, the crowd pressing around just the saood place at the here I was close to him and could see in They laid hie Bible under his head, and opened another one and spread it on his breast; but they tore open his shi+rt first, and I seen where one of the bullets went in Hethe Bible up when he drawed in his breath, and letting it down again when he breathed it out?and after that he laid still; he was dead Then they pulled his daughter away fro, and took her off She was about sixteen, and very sweet and gentle looking, but awful pale and scared

Well, pretty soon the whole toas there, squiret at theand have a look, but people that had the places wouldn't give the all the tiht and 'tain't fair for you to stay thar all the tiive nobody a chance; other folks has their rights as well as you”

There was considerable jawing back, so I slid out, thinkingto be trouble The streets was full, and everybody was excited Everybody that seen the shooting was telling how it happened, and there was a big crowd packed around each one of these fellows, stretching their necks and listening One long, lankywhite fur stovepipe hat on the back of his head, and a crooked-handled cane, s stood and where Sherburn stood, and the people following hi he done, and bobbing their heads to show they understood, and stooping a little and resting their hands on their thighs to watch hiround with his cane; and then he stood up straight and stiff where Sherburn had stood, frowning and having his hat-bris!” and then fetched his cane down slow to a level, and says ”Bang!” staggered backwards, says ”Bang!” again, and fell down flat on his back The people that had seen the thing said he done it perfect; said it was just exactly the way it all happened Then as ot out their bottles and treated hiht to be lynched In about ait; so away they went,down every clothes-line they co with

CHAPTER XXII

THEY swar like Injuns, and everything had to clear the way or get run over and tro it ahead of the et out of the way; and everyalong the road was full of woer boys in every tree, and bucks and wenches looking over every fence; and as soon as the et nearly to them they would break and skaddle back out of reach Lots of the wo on, scared most to death

They swars as thick as they could jaether, and you couldn't hear yourself think for the noise It was a little twenty-foot yard So out ”Tear down the fence! tear down the fence!” Then there was a racket of ripping and tearing and soes, and the front wall of the crowd begins to roll in like a wave

Just then Sherburn steps out on to the roof of his little front porch, with a double-barrel gun in his hand, and takes his stand, perfectly ca' a word The racket stopped, and the wave sucked back

Sherburn never said a word?just stood there, looking down The stillness ful creepy and unco the crowd; and wherever it struck the people tried a little to out-gaze him, but they couldn't; they dropped their eyes and looked sneaky Then pretty soon Sherburn sort of laughed; not the pleasant kind, but the kind that ot sand in it

Then he says, slow and scornful:

”The idea of _you_ lynching anybody! It's ah to lynch a _h to tar and feather poor friendless cast-out worit enough to lay your hands on a _man_? Why, a _ as it's daytime and you're not behind hih was born and raised in the South, and I've lived in the North; so I know the average all around