rankfort-town hain't no safe place fer ye."

"I come down hyar," announced Asa, still with an imperturbable suavity,
"ter try an' git me a pardon. I hain't got hit yit an' tharfore I hain't
ready ter turn away."

Gregory began a deliberate ransacking of his pockets, in search of his
tobacco plug, and in doing so he hauled out miscellaneous odds and ends
before he found what he was seeking.

In his hands materialized a corn-cob pipe, some loose coins and
matches, and then--as Saul's voice broke into frightened
exclamation--several rifle and pistol cartridges.

"Good God, man," exploded the other mountaineer, "ain't ye got no more
common sense than ter be totin' them things 'round in this
town--terday?"

Asa raised his brows, and smiled indulgently upon his kinsman. "Why,
ginrally, I've got a few ca'tridges and pistol hulls in my pockets," he
drawled. "Why shouldn't I?"

"Well, git rid of 'em, an' be speedy about it! Don't ye know full well
thet every mountain man in town's goin' ter be suspicioned, an' thet
ther legislater'll vote more money than ye ever dreamed of to stretch
mountain necks? Give them things ter the boy, thar."

Fulton had not had time to feel surprise at seeing Boone, whom he had
left on the farm, confronting him here on the sidewalk of a Frankfort
street. Now as the boy reached up his hand and Asa carelessly dropped
the cartridges into it, Saul rushed vehemently on.

"Boone, don't make no mention of this hyar talk ter nobody. Take yore
foot in yore hand an' light out fer my house--an' ther fust
spring-branch ye comes ter, stop an' fling them damn things into ther
water."

* * * * *

When the wires gave to the world the appalling climax of that savagely
acrimonious campaign, a breathlessness of shock settled upon the State
where passion had run its inflammatory course. The reiteration of
Cassandra's prediction had failed to discount the staggering reality,
and for a brief moment animosities were silenced.

But that was not for long. Yesterday the lieutenants of an iron-strong
leader had bowed to his dominant will. Today they stood dedicated to
reprisal behind a martyr--exalted by his mortal hurt.

It appeared certain that the rifle had barked from a window of the
executive building itself--and when police and posses hastily summoned
had hurried to its doors, a grimly unyielding cordon of mountaineers
had spelled, in human type, the words "no admission."

T