ailed her,
and she was sobbing hysterically into her two palms held right over her
eyes.

"Oh, you had it, did you?" called out McGinty with easy insolence.

"Look here!" The Colonel held up the bit of flooring with rapid
explanation.

"Where is he?"

"Got him locked up?"

Everybody talked at once. The Colonel managed to keep them going for
some moments before he admitted.

"Reckon he's lit out." And then the Colonel got it hot and strong for
his clumsiness.

"Which way'd he go?"

The Colonel turned his back to the North Pole, and made a fine large
gesture in the general direction of the Equator.

"Where's my money?"

"Up in your cabin. Better go and count it."

A good many were willing to help since they'd been cheated out of a
hanging, and even defrauded of a shot at a thief on the wing. Nobody
seemed to care to remain in the neighbourhood of the crooked
cotton-wood. The crowd was dispersing somewhat sheepishly.

Nobody looked at Butts, and yet he was a sight to see. His face and his
clothes were badly mauled. He was covered with mud and blood. When the
men were interrupted in trying to get the noose over his head, he had
stood quite still in the midst of the crowd till it broke and melted
away from him. He looked round, passed his hand over his eyes, threw
open his torn coat, and felt in his pockets.

"Who's got my tobacco?" says he.

Several men turned back suddenly, and several pouches were held out,
but nobody met Butts' eyes. He filled his pipe, nor did his hand shake
any more than those that held the tobacco-bags. When he had lit up,
"Who's got my Smith and Wesson?" he called out to the backs of the
retiring citizens. Windy Jim stood and delivered. Butts walked away to
his cabin, swaying a little, as if he'd had more hootch than he could
carry.

"What would you have said," demanded the Boy, "if you'd hung the wrong
man?"

"Said?" echoed McGinty. "Why, we'd 'a' said that time the corpse had
the laugh on us." A couple of hours later Keith put an excited face
into his shack, where the Colonel and the Boy were just crawling under
their blankets.

"Thought you might like to know, that Miners' Meeting that was
interrupted is having an extra session."

They followed him down to the Court through a fine rain. The night was
heavy and thick. As they splashed along Keith explained:

"Of course, Charlie knew there wasn't room enough in Alaska now for
Butts and him; and he thought he'd better send