The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-11-17
fphev both stood motionless; with

Williams. None OF the natives ven
tufed out into the opeb erobnd.thef
had leaEhssd to De cautious in the
neighborhood Of white mems huts,
and perhaps the bright eyes peering
through the branches a. while ago
had seen the shining gun barrels.
So perhaps five minutes passed, and
! thef-it might have been bough
stirred by a puff of wind, or a kanga-
roo rat passing through the under
brush; but something moved, and
Hawk Williams fired into the seriib'
As the shot snapped there was o
shrek; and a brown figure darted
into the open, d good way farther OIL,
but still within fife range; and fled
UP the hill. Jack Hepburn still stood
| like d statute: Perhaps Williams
thought he was hesitating; anyhow
he fired his second barrel. The
brown figure dropped.
Then Jack Hepburn leveled the
rife that had never missed fire yet,
and without speaking a word shot
Hawk Williams through the heart.
He took the dead man up and laid
him in his bed-place inside the hut,
upheld by the Others, who seemed
struck dumb with CONSERVATION and
perplexity.
Old Dicey the cooler of the two,
was fairly puzzled as he vainly
searched his memory for a parallel
case. Both kept outside the door,
stealing uneasy glafices every now and
then at the silent man who sat with his
head in his hands, besides what had
been Hawk Williams, as though he
might suddenly rise and kill them
too: But he never moved, and as
the dusk stole up and the air grew
damp and chilly they were fain to
turn in and seek their blankets.
Only once he looked up.
"Mates," he said, "when does Al
lardyce come round? Is it tomor-
row."
1t was point of etiquette with
him to mark his status as free man
by never speaking of"Mr. Allardyce,"
as they were obliged to do within
hearing of authorities.
They looked at each other and
muttered eyes"
"All right" he answered, then re-
turned to his brooding watch, and
SO they found him still seated when
they awoke in the morning
He stayed about the hut all day.
"You chaps might think wanted to
cut an rum" he remarked, land L
want to be on hand when he comes.
You can tell him what you please"
1t was afternoon when Allardyce
arrived. He must have met with
Cass on the way and heard some
thing already, for he galloped up in
frantic haste and threw himself from
the horse, crying, Hepburn what's
this?"
cts quite true, sir" said Jack,
quietly. "Come along" and he led
the way into the hut.
Old Dicey met them in the doorway
with a high-pitched and voluable
story about quarrel in which Hawk
Williams had not been to blame; but
Allardyce pushed past him and stood
with Hepburn beside the dead man
sIshot him, sir, you may see, and
I'll show you why; | gave him fan
warning, and l told him | was ready
to take the consequences. Will you
: come this way?"
They went down the hill together
and into the scrub, and Jack parted
t the branches and showed him a cop
per-colored corpse lying there on it,
) face, the limbs twisted and hands
: clenched in the terrible death agony
5 and the hole where the bullet had tori
: it's Jagged cours from back to breast
81 shot him straight" said Jack
as if to himself. "He didn't have tt
: suffer like that"
Y But Duncan Allardyce turned hi
!. white face away and leaned his hant
e heavily on Jacks shoulder.
CHATS not ALL" said Jack, look
J ing at him narrowly. "But-''
AGO. on" said Allardyce.
D They went on to a spOtwhere Their
: was an opossum-skin rug spread GU
L on the grass, and Jack Hepburn lifte'
j it up and showed a dead woman
: slight-limbed creature scarcely NOR
d than a girl-with a child in her arms
g '"There!' he said, hoarsely. "H
e knew that; he could see it well enoug
from where he stood. And if it wer
8 to be done over again I'd do it. An
if it's hanging-why, I'll hangl"
o Duncan Allardyce turned to hir
Il and took both his hands.
"God help us both, Jack!' he crieC
u 81 think you're right"
d 1t was hanging matter. The trlf
created rather a sensation at tn
}? time, and it ended as might hay
l. been expected, seeing that the couns'
Allardyce had engaged failed to e'
- tablish the plea of lunacy, the onl
o extenuating circumstance the cou1
would have admitted.
/ Kearney was not inclined to rui
l. himself in trying to save a man VIII
l, would NEEDLE with what was IL
o business of his. He and Allardyc
IL parted and quarreled over that a
fair, and the latter spent his none
k alone and to no purpose. He wa
e with Jack Hepburn the night befol
n he died. They had always liked eac
-e other, and those last few weeks ha
n drawn them together strangely, an
lie they had talked as dearest friends d.
n The time was nearly gone. The
r had sat side by side silent, holdin
% each others hands-how the col
y seriousness of the fast-slpping me-
,, ments strikes those dumb who HAYES
Us much to say for the last time!-the
1t at last Allardyce said:
r, "Isanything troubling you, Jack?
he He looked at him with sad, pc
t, picked eyes, and spoke slowly an
is hesitatingly:
81 "Maybe-I don't know whether
p was wrong; I don't want to say
wasn't" He laid his head down o
y Allardyce's shoulder and went on
IL a hoarse, hurried whisper. "Parso
" says can't get to heaven if | don
W repent-and II can't say-I'm so
u nv for thing-when | know I'd d