FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87  
88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   >>   >|  
sad spectacle until the men had passed from view, he turned and ran through the grove, believing the officers were close upon him. The news that two miners and a boy had probably been killed spread through the village rapidly, and Cale Billings was in Taylor's groggery when one of the late rioters brought the intelligence. "It's a wonder they don't accuse us of havin' somethin' to do with the accident," the newcomer added, and the proprietor said sternly: "I don't want to drive customers away, but if any who come here have had a hand in murder, they'd better not show their heads 'round this place again." Billings looked disturbed, but made no reply. Although having had no direct share in the crime, he knew he was really an accomplice, and the knowledge that Taylor might inform against him was by no means pleasant. It was eight o'clock in the evening when Skip ventured to come down from the hillside, and he looked like a boy who had been very ill. Even at this late hour he did not dare to walk through the village, but skulked around the outskirts until he saw Chunky, whom he hailed in a whisper. "Where have you been?" Fred's chute mate asked in surprise. "I had some work on the other side of the hill." "Have you been there all day?" "Yes. Jest got back. Are those fellows dead!" Ordinarily Chunky was not quick to arrive at conclusions, but now he asked in a suspicious tone: "How did you know anything about it if you've jest got back?" "Oh, I heard from some of the fellows." "Who?" "Never mind," and Skip spoke sharply. "Did they all get killed?" "None of 'em; but the doctor says Fred won't be over it for three or four days. Joe an' Bill are both in bed, though they'll be out in the morning." "Does Wright know who did it?" "Did what?" "Why, knock--whatever was done." "I thought the roof of a cuttin' fell in 'cause it wasn't shored up enough." "I s'pose that was the reason," Skip replied in a nervous way. "It seems to me you know more about this thing than anybody else." "You'd better not say that again," and Skip stepped forward a few paces with clenched fists. "You can get the best of me, so I'll have to hold my tongue; but I reckon I've had all I want of the regulators. Tryin' to kill a feller who never did much of anything to you is a mean trick." "Shut up or I'll knock your head off. You can't back out of our s'ciety, an' if you ever say I tried to kill anybody
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87  
88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

fellows

 

looked

 

Chunky

 
killed
 
village
 

Billings

 
Taylor
 

arrive

 

conclusions

 

Ordinarily


sharply
 

doctor

 

suspicious

 

reckon

 

tongue

 
regulators
 

feller

 

clenched

 

forward

 
thought

cuttin

 
Wright
 

shored

 

stepped

 

reason

 

replied

 

nervous

 
morning
 

newcomer

 

proprietor


sternly

 

accident

 

accuse

 

somethin

 

customers

 

disturbed

 

murder

 

intelligence

 

brought

 

believing


officers

 

turned

 

spectacle

 

passed

 

rapidly

 

groggery

 
rioters
 

spread

 

miners

 

hailed