to Bill. "I didn't try to
make trouble; but I couldn't stand by and see a man murdered, no more
than any decent man could." He paused; and still looking toward Bill,
added: "I didn't even notice particularly who the men were, until I
went up to the boy. It all happened so sudden that I--"

The Captain cleared his throat. "You admit, then, that you killed
Rawhide Jack and Texas Bill this morning?"

"I surely do," retorted Jack. "And if you want to know, I'm kinda
proud of it; it was a long shot--to clean the town of two such
blackguards. And right here I want to apologize to the town for making
a bungle of killing Swift!"

"We have two witnesses who also swear that you killed Tex' and
Rawhide, though they give a very different version of the trouble with
the boy. Would you ask us to believe that Texas Bill lied with his
last breath?"

"If he told the story you say he did, he certainly lied most sinfully
with his last breath; but I'd hate to take your word for anything, so
I don't know whether he lied or not."

"Mr. Swift, here, tells the same story that Texas Bill told." The
Captain chose to ignore the insults. "I think their testimony should
carry more weight with the Committee than yours, or the boy's. You are
trying to save your neck; and the boy probably feels that he owes you
some gratitude for taking his part. But the Committee's business is to
weed out the dangerous element which is altogether too large in this
town; and the Committee feels that you are one of the most dangerous.
However, we will call another witness. Shorty, you may come forward."

Shorty came scowling up and sat down upon the box Swift had occupied.
He took the oath and afterwards declared that he had overheard Jack
coaching the boy about what he should tell the Committee. The Captain,
having brought out that point, promptly excused him.

"Gentlemen of the jury, you have heard the evidence, and your duty is
plain. We are waiting for the verdict."

The man with the cud looked a question at the Captain; turned
and glanced down the row at the eleven, who nodded their heads in
unanimous approval of his thoughts. He once more shifted the wad
of tobacco, as a preliminary to expectorating gravely into the sand
floor, and pronounced his sentence with a promptness that savored of
relish:

"The verdict of the jury is that we hang Jack Allen for killin' Texas
and Rawhide, and for bein' a mean, ornery cuss, anyway."

The Captain turned coldly