ard a thing yet. Let me finish. Well, she got back to the farm some
way or another, and something over a year later I wandered into this
country again too. I never could explain just why I came back. It was
not altogether to see the girl. Her father was a little bit of a man and
I began to remember what a meek and weak sheep he was. I got it into my
head that it'd be fun to go back to his farm and rub it in. So I came.

"Her father was trying out a new corn planter right at the back door
when I rounded the house and walked towards him. Then I saw, at once,
that I had made a mistake. When he put his eyes on me his face went
white and hard. He came down from the seat of that machine like a flash,
and took hurried steps in the direction of a doublebarrelled gun
leaning against the woodshed. They always were troubled with hawks and
kept a gun handy. But there was an ax nearer to me than the gun was to
him. I had to work fast but I made it all right. I grabbed that ax,
jumped at him as he reached for the gun, and swung--once. His wife, and
the girl too, saw it. Then I turned and ran."

* * * * *

The gaunt brute before us slowly crossed one groaning knee above the
other. We were all sitting again now. The perspiration rolled down my
face. I held my gun trained upon him, and, though I now believed he was
totally mad, because of a certain ring of truth in that empty voice, I
sat fascinated. I looked at Seth. His jaw was hanging loose, his eyes
bulging. Hammersly's mouth was set in a tight clenched line, his eyes
like fire in his blue, drawn face. I could not see the others.

"The telephone caught me," continued our ghastly story-teller, "and in
no time at all I was convicted and the date set for the hanging. When my
time was pretty close a doctor or scientist fellow came to see me who
said, 'Blaggett, you're slated to die. How much will you sell me your
body for?' If he didn't say it that way he meant just that. And I said,
'Nothing. I've no one to leave money to. What do you want with my body?'
And he told me, 'I believe I can bring you back to life and health,
provided they don't snap your neck when they drop you.' 'Oh, you're one
of _those_ guys, are you?' I said then. 'All right, hop to it. If you
can do it I'll be much obliged. Then I can go back on that farm and do a
little more ax swinging!'" Again came his horrible chuckle, again I
mopped my brow.

"So we made our plans," he went on,