een
mountain air made agreeable, even in May.

Old Hurricane was smoking his pipe and reading his paper.

Cap was sitting with her slender fingers around her throat, which she,
with a shudder, occasionally compressed:

"Well, that demon Black Donald will be hanged the 26th of July," said
Old Hurricane, exultingly, "and we shall get rid of one villain, Cap."

"I pity Black Donald, and I can't bear to think of his being hanged! It
quite breaks my heart to think that I was compelled to bring him to
such a fate!"

"Oh, that reminds me! The reward offered for the apprehension of Black
Donald, to which you were entitled, Cap, was paid over to me for you. I
placed it to your account in the Agricultural Bank."

"I don't want it! I won't touch it! The price of blood! It would burn
my fingers!" said Cap.

"Oh, very well! A thousand dollars won't go a-begging," said Old
Hurricane.

"Uncle, it breaks my heart to think of Black Donald's execution! It
just does! It must be dreadful, this hanging! I have put my finger
around my throat and squeezed it, to know how it feels, and it is
awful. Even a little squeeze makes my head feel as if it would burst,
and I have to let go! Oh, it is horrible to think of!"

"Well, Cap, it wasn't intended to be as pleasant as tickling, you know.
I wish it was twenty times worse! It would serve him right, the
villain! I wish it was lawful to break him on the wheel--I do!"

"Uncle, that is very wicked in you! I declare I won't have it! I'll
write a petition to the Governor to commute his sentence, and carry it
all around the county myself!"

"You wouldn't get a soul to sign it to save your life, much less his."

"I'll go to the Governor myself, and beg him to pardon Donald Bayne!"

"Ha! ha! ha! the Governor would not do it to save all our lives, and if
he were to do such an outrageous thing he might whistle for his
reelection!"

"I declare, Donald Bayne shall not be hanged--and so there!" said Cap,
passionately.

"Whe-ew! You'll deliver him by the strength of your arm, my little
Donna Quixota."

"I'll save him one way or another, now mind I tell you! He sinned more
against me than against anybody else, and so I have the best right of
anybody in the world to forgive him, and I do forgive him! And he
shan't be hanged I I say it!"

"You say it! Ha! ha! ha! Who are you, to turn aside the laws?"

"I, Capitola Black, say that Donald Bayne, not having deserved to be
hanged, shall not be h