ye tuck thought
of Ken's _dee_fence, albeit men knowed thar was bad blood betwixt him
an' John. Now I aims ter let Ken pay what he owes in lawful fashion....
I aims ter hang him."

Sally retreated to the hearth and stood leaning there weakly. With
fumbling fingers she brought from inside her dress a soiled sheet of
folded paper and drew a long breath of resolution, passing one hand over
her face where the hair fell wispy and straggling. Then she braced
herself with all the strength and self-will that was left her.

"Ken didn't nuver kill John," she said, slowly, forcing a voice that
seemed to have hardly breath enough to carry it to audibility. "I kilt
him."

For an instant the room was as still as a tomb with only lifeless
tenants, then Will Turk took one quick step forward, to halt again, and
his voice broke into an amazed and incredulous interjection:

"_You_ kilt him?"

"Yes, I kilt him.... He hed done beat me an' he war chokin' me.... His
misuse of me war what him an' Ken fell out erbout.... I war too proud
ter tell anybody else ... but Ken knowed.... I was faintin' away with
John's fingers on my throat.... We was right by ther table whar his own
pistol lay.... I grabbed hit up an' shot. Ken come ter ther door jest es
hit went off."

Facing this new statement of alleged fact the brother of the dead man
remained in his unmoving posture of amazed silence for a space, then he
responded with a scornfully disbelieving laugh. In a woman one would
have called it hysterical, but his words, when he spoke, were steady
enough.

"Thet's a right slick story, Sally, but hit don't pull no wool over my
eyes. Hit's too tardy fer right-minded folks ter believe hit."

The woman sought to answer, but her moving lips gave no sound. She had
thought the world stood always ready to accept self-confessed guilt, and
now her throat worked spasmodically until at last her dumbness was
conquered.

"Does ye think ... hit's ther sort of lie I'd tell willin'ly?" she
asked. "Don't hit put me right whar Ken's at now ... with ther gallows
ahead of me?" She broke off, then her words rose to a shrill pitch of
excitement.

"Fer God's sake, heed me in time! Ye seeks ter hang somebody fer killin'
John. I'm ther right one. Hang me!"

Will Turk paced the room for several meditative turns with his head low
on his breast and his hands gripped at his back. Then he halted and
stood facing her.

"What does ye aim ter do with thet thar paper?" he