The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-08-13
"You wish to find Margaret, do you

| You shall find her if there is anything,
in your ~tomfoolery. where you both
| belong. You forced her to dcsperb
| ton; you made en- outlaw of me. ]
am going to make adead man OF you"
BY soma such reasoning rs thi:
does the desperate criminal almost
always seek to justify his attitude.
Rarely, indeed, DO we find a man,
whose deeds have made him .ho nor.
| ror OF m~auainl, whose name is sua;.
| Gent to send a sEuGdsr through the
| world, whose whole record is black
with outrages against the most sacred
| rights of others-racely do we find
such a man putting upon himself the
] blame of his condition and attitude.
Somebody, he fancies, or p%retends to
| fancy, has driven him from the path
of honesty and honor.
As Burns stood there facing the
worker OF all his misery, he presented
the other side of the inscription OF
life. His had been n career Of right.
| doing. From his yonth to old age lie
had Thoughts little of himself; his chief
happiness had been derived from do.
ing good to others and from perform
ing the duties of his holy calling.
T Ike most Scotch Presbyterians. he
had placed his faith in God with n
| seriousness aud q literalness that
| brushed aside doubt as the dust OF
| death.
Now, as in this supreme moment,
his thoughts ran back over the the
past, lighting up the strange route OF
toll, anxiety, distress, delay and de.
feat by which he had at last come INTO
the presence of Kirk MacCollough; it
seemed to him the very despair OF ali
despairs tibet this man should be able
20 sit there, proud, vigorous, painless.
"a superb specimen OF the animal
man-and from his silver-mounted
saddle, as from o kings throne. fling
the fiat of q merciless fate into his
face. For the first time since his
Youthful days a sudden whirl of pas
| sion possessed him. His frame dis.
tended itself, his eyes shot out a wild
light, a foam sprang to his lips aud
few out in q fine, white spray as he
exclaimed:
limp of Satan! Liar of Liars! Do
your worst! If my God has indeed
forsaken me, my manhood has not! 1
am not afraid to die! Shoot, you
poor, pitiful lying coward, shoot"
He tore open his coat and barred his
shaggy, emaciated breast as he spoke.
The attitude, the look, the whole
presence of the man flashed out a
spirit which, on the stage, is melo-
drama, but which in real life is des.
perate herolsm. He was expanded
and rigid with uncomfortable, costa.
tic desperation. His chin was thrust
far out, his hands were clenched, his
arms stood akimbo. But for the aw-
full stress and sincerity of his mood
the whole thing must have been In.
dicrous. As it was, however, the
magic circle of the heroic, the extra
ordinary, the picturesque was drawn
around it, and it was set apart for
ever as one of the focal points of hui
man passion wherein self-forgetful
ness and courage merge into absolute
fearlessness.
Pierre Rameau looked on without
any change of expression; but he
could not fail to recognize an, in his
own way. Lonor the old mans spirit.
The cool, alert, thoughtful outlaw
felt, however, that this very courage
made Burns a most dangerous enemy
to be running at large. What might
not such a spirit. goaded to despera-
ton, find it possible to accomplish?
Self-preservation demanded the death
| of this man, and with Pierre Rameau
there was no such thing as hesitancy
or faltering.
He raised his pistol, took deliberate
aim and sent an ounce leaden ball
straight for the heart of Max Burns.
The old man flung up his arms and
fell without q groan.
When the loud report OF the weapon
had ceased to clatter its echoes In the
hollows of the wood, Rameau gave
the crumpled body of his poor old
victim a steady, searching look till it
ceased to culver, S,en rode away in
the direction taken by his men, leav-
ing Burns's horse standing stock
still. with its nose against its masters
shoulder. .
A dark cloud had crept up the west
meantime, and now a dull roar, heavy
and ominous, Jared the air. Light
ming twinkled acre the chasms be-
tween great, tumbled masses OF
vapor.
When Rameau saw the approaching
storm a change came over his face.
A close observer could have dis.
| covered that this strong, crime-hard-
eued heart wa afraid OF the spirit
that rode the hurricane.
He urged his horse to a swift gallop
along the trail, reloading his pistol as
he went. 1t was quite out OF the
question for him to reach any house
before the coming On of the wind and
| rain which he we'll knew the cloud