FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150  
151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   >>   >|  
was waiting. All that Happy knew of this was in her cry afterwards. He was sitting alone, when Cory threw open the door and said, 'I've got you this time, Happy!' His pistol was raised but never fired. He waited too long, meaning to establish his case of 'self-defence,' and Fear is the quickest man I know. Cory fell just inside the door. Claudine stumbled upon him as she came running after him, crying out to her husband that she 'never meant no trouble,' that Cory had sworn to her that he only wanted to shake hands and 'make up.' Other people heard the shot and broke into the room, but they did not try to stop Fear; he warned them off and walked out without hindrance, and came to me. I've got to clear him." Ariel knew what he meant: she realized the actual thing as it was, and, though possessed by a strange feeling that it must all be medieval and not possibly of to-day, understood that he would have to fight to keep his friend from being killed; that the unhappy creature who had run into the office out of the dark stood in high danger of having his neck broken, unless Joe could help him. He made it clear to her that the State would kill Happy if it could; that it would be a point of pride with certain deliberate men holding office to take the life of the little man; that if they did secure his death it would be set down to their efficiency, and was even competent as campaign material. "I wish to point out," Joe had heard a candidate for re-election vehemently orate, "that in addition to the other successful convictions I have named, I and my assistants have achieved the sending of three men to the gallows during my term of office!" "I can't tell yet," said Joe, at parting. "It may be hard. I'm so sorry you saw all this. I--" "Oh NO!" she cried. "I want to UNDERSTAND!" She was still there, at the gate, her elbows resting upon the cross-bar, when, a long time after Joe had gone, there came from the alley behind the big back yard the minor chordings of a quartette of those dark strollers who never seem to go to bed, who play by night and playfully pretend to work by day: "You know my soul is a-full o' them-a-trub-bils, Ev-ry mawn! I cain' a-walk withouten I stum-bils! Then le'ss go on-- Keep walkin' on! These times is sow'owful, an' I am pow'owful Sick an' fo'lawn!" She heard a step upon the path behind her, and, turning, saw a white-wrapped figu
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150  
151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
office
 

UNDERSTAND

 

successful

 
convictions
 
assistants
 
addition
 

candidate

 

election

 

vehemently

 

achieved


sending
 
parting
 

gallows

 

walkin

 

withouten

 

turning

 

wrapped

 

chordings

 

quartette

 

resting


elbows
 

strollers

 

pretend

 
playfully
 

wanted

 
trouble
 
running
 

crying

 

husband

 

warned


walked

 

hindrance

 
people
 
stumbled
 

Claudine

 
pistol
 

raised

 

sitting

 

waiting

 

waited


quickest

 

inside

 
defence
 

meaning

 
establish
 
deliberate
 

holding

 

broken

 
efficiency
 

competent