FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   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   >>   >|  
g this other man, Slattery, but we can't break him down. Jest tells us to go to"--the sheriff paused, evidently deterred by the thought that swear-words were unbefitting a hospital--"to the other place, and shets his jaw up tight. The one up here is called the Teller, as Mr. Barrett says; his name's Jerry the Teller. Well, we told Slattery that Jerry had died and left a confession; tried to make him think there wasn't no hope fer him, and he might as well up and tell his share; might git off easier; warned him to look out for a mob if he didn't, maybe, and so on, but it never bothered him at all. He's nervy, all right. Told us to go--that is, he said it again--and swore the Teller was on his way to Chicago, swore he seen him git on the train. Wouldn't say another word tell he got a lawyer. So, 'soon as it was any use, we come up here--they reckon he'll come to before he dies. We'll be glad to have you go in with us," Horner said kindly. "I reckon it's all the same to Mr. Barrett." "He will die, will he, Gay?" Meredith asked, turning to the surgeon. "Oh, not necessarily," the young man replied, yawning slightly behind his hand, and too long accustomed to straightforward questions to be shocked at an evident wish for a direct reply. "His chances are better, because they'll hang him if he gets well. They took the ball and a good deal of shot out of his side, and there's a lot more for afterwhile, if he lasts. He's been off the table an hour, and he's still going." "That's in his favor, isn't it?" said Meredith. "And extraordinary, too?" If young Dr. Gay perceived a slur in these interrogations he betrayed no exterior appreciation of it. "Shot!" exclaimed Homer. "Shot! I knowed there'd be'n a pistol used, though where they got it beats me--we stripped 'em--and it wasn't Mr. Harkless's; he never carried one. But a shot-gun!" An attendant entered and spoke to the surgeon, and Gay rose wearily, touched the drowsy young man on the shoulder, and led the way to the door. "You can come now," he said to the others; "though I doubt its being any good to you. He's delirious." They went down a long hall and up a narrow corridor, then stepped softly into a small, quiet ward. There was a pungent smell of chemicals in the room; the light was low, and the dimness was imbued with a thick, confused murmur, incoherent whisperings that came from a cot in the corner. It was the only cot in use in the ward, and Meredith was consci
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Meredith
 

Teller

 

surgeon

 
reckon
 

Slattery

 

Barrett

 

pistol

 

afterwhile

 

exterior

 

betrayed


appreciation

 
exclaimed
 

interrogations

 
extraordinary
 
perceived
 

knowed

 

drowsy

 

pungent

 

chemicals

 

corridor


stepped

 

softly

 

dimness

 

corner

 

consci

 
whisperings
 

imbued

 

confused

 

murmur

 

incoherent


narrow

 

attendant

 
entered
 

stripped

 

Harkless

 

carried

 

wearily

 

touched

 

delirious

 

shoulder


confession
 
bothered
 

easier

 

warned

 

paused

 
evidently
 

deterred

 
sheriff
 
thought
 

called