The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-09
The Gentleman From Indiana
BY BOOTH TRRKINGTON
Copyright by Doubleday & Mcclure Co., 1899.
CHAPTER X.
The Courthouse Bell,

Wild, hurried clamor pealng out to wake the
countryside, a rapid clang! clang! clang!
that struck clear in to the spine.
The courthouse bell had tolled for the death
OF Morton. of Garfield, of Hendricks; had
rung joy-peals of peace after the war and
after political campaigns; but it had rung
as 1t was ringing now only three times once
when Hibbard's mill burned, once when
Webb Lands killed Sep Bardlock and in
trenched himself in the lumber yard and
would not be taken till he was shot through
and through, and once when the Rouen ac-
Commodation was wrecked within twenty
yards Of the station.
Why was the~be ringing now? Men and
women, startled into wide wakefulness,
groped to windows-no red mist hung over
the town or country. What was, it? The
bell rang on. Its loud alarm beat increasing
ly into mems hearts and quickened their
throbbins to the rapid measure Of it's own.
Vague forms loomed in the cleaning.
horse, wildly ridden, splashed through the
town. There were shouts: voices called
hoarsely. Lamps began to CLEAN in the win
dows. Half-clad people emerged from their
houses, men slapDing their braces on their
shoulders they ran out of doors. Ques-
tions were shouted into the dimness.
Then the news went over the town.
1t was cried from yard to yard from group
to group, from gate to gate, and reached the
furthermost confines Runners shouted it
they sped by; boys painted It, breathless;
women with loosened hair stumbled into
darkling chambers and faltered 1t out to
ew-wakened sleepers; pale girls clutching
wraps at their throats whispered it across
fences; the sick. tossing on their hard beds,
heard it. The bell clamored It far and near;
it spread over the country side; it flew over
the wires to distant cities. The White-CapS
had got Mr.. Harkless
Lige Willets bad lost track of him out near
BTscoes' 1t was said. and had come in at
midnight seeking him. H had found Parker,
the Herald foreman. and Ross Schofeld, the
sypesetter, and Bud Tipworthy, the devil, at
work in the printing-room, but sign OF
Earkless. there or in the cottage. Together
these had sought for him and had reused
others, who had inquired at every house
where he might have gone for shelter, and
they had heard nothing. They had watched
tor his coming during the slackening Of the
storm and he had not come. and there was
nowhere he could have gone. He was miss
Ing; only one thing could have happened.
They had reused up Warren Smith, the
prosecutor, the missing editors most inti-
mate friend in Carlow. and Horner. the
sheriff. and Jared Wiley. the deputy. VIII
The first thing to do was to
nnd him. After that there would be
trouble-if not before. Ut looked as II there
would be trouble before. The men tramping
UP to the muddy square In their shirt-sleeves
were bulgy about the right hips; and when
Homer Tibbs joined lLum lands at the hotel
corner, and Lands saw that Homer was car
rying a shotgun, Tibbs went hack for his.
A hastily sworn posse galloped out Main
street. Women and children ran into neigh
bors' yards and began to cry. DAY was
coming; and, as the light grew, men swore
and savaagely kicked at the palings of fences
that they passed.
T, ;,,
the square and listened to Warren Smith,
who made speech from the courthouse fence
and warned them to go slow. They answered
him with angry shouts and hootings. but he
made his big bass voice heard, and bade them
do nothing rash; facts were known. he
said 1t was far from certain that harm had
been done. and no one knew that the Six
Cross Roads people had done it-even If some
thing had happened to Mr.. Harkless. He de-
clared that he spoke in Harkless name.
Nothing could distress him much as for
them to defy the law, to take it out Of the
proper hands. Justice would be done.
Yes, It will!' shouted man below him,
brandshing the butt OF a raw-hide whip above
his head. And while you jaw about 1t
here, he may be tied up like a dog in the
woods, shot full OF holes by the you
never lifted finger to hender, because you
want their votes when you run for circuit
Judge. What are we doin' here? What's the
good of listening to you?"
There was yell at this. and those who
heard the speaker would probably have start
ed for the CROSSROADS without further parley
had not runlor sprung up, which passed sc
rapidly from man to man that within five
minutes 1t was being turbuently discussed in
every portion of the crowd The news came
that the two shell gamblers had wrenched 8
bar out of a window under cover Of the
storm, and were at large Their threats o
tho day before were remembered now with
con vincing vjvidness. They had sworn re.
peatedly to Bardlock and to the sheriff, and ir
the hearing of others that they would do
for the man who took their money from then
and had them arrested The prosecuting at
torney, quickly perceiving the value of this
complication in holding back the mob tha
was already forming, called Horner from tht
crowd and made him confess that his prison
ers had escaped-at what time he did no
know, probably toward the beginning of tn,
storm, when it was noisiest.
"You see," cried the attorney, there ii
nothing as yet Of which we can accuse tn.
Cross Roads. If our friend has been hurt, /
3s much more likely that these crooks did 1t
They escaped in time to do It, and we al
know they were laying for him. You wan
to be mighty careful, fellow citizens. Horne
is already in telegraphlc communication will
every town around here, and we'll have thos
men before night. All you've got to do is t
control yourselves a little and so home quiet
ly" He could see thae his words (excep
those in reference to returning home-no on
was going home) made an impression Their
rose a batble Of shouting and argument an
swearing that grew continually louder, an,
the faces the lawyer looked down on wer
creased with perplexity, and Swallowed will
anger that settled darker and darker.
Mr.. Ephraim Watts, in spite Of all con
fusion, clad as carefully as upon the preced
ing day, deliberately climbed the fence an.
stood by the lawyer and made q single stead,
gesture with his hand. 9Ie was listened t.
at once, as his respect for the law was les
notorious than his irreverence for It, and b.
had been known In Carlow as a customaril,
reckless man. They wanted illegal and des
perate advice, and queted down to hear 1t
He spoke in his professionally calm voice.
Gentlemen, 1t seems to me that Mr.. Smitl
and Mr.. Ribshaw'' (nodding to the man witt
the rawhide whip "are both right. Wha
good are we doing here? What we want L
know Is what's happened to Mr.. Harkless
1t looks just now like the shell-1nen nigh
have done It. Lets tnd out what they done
Scatter and hunt for him. Soon as anything
Is known for certain, Hibbards mill whistl
will blow three times. Keep on looking til
It does. Then" he finished, with barel
perceptible ecornful smile at the attorney
''then we can decide on what had ought t.
be done" -.., ~--*. ~
Six-Cross- Roads lay dark and stearning II
the sun that morning. The forge was silent
the saloon locked UP, the roadway deserted
even by the pigs The broken old busg,
stood rotting in the mud without a singl