Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-02-13
A Knave Of
Conscience
By FRANCIS LYNDE.
CHAPTER xxv.-CoNr1rUED.
(Copyright 100, By FraQcis Lynde-)

CHAPTER XXV.-CONTINUED
A murmur of savage disapproval
ran through the group of determined
ones and thereowereemuttered impre-
cations including oGriswold.
"'Tain't no use, Mr.. Griswold," the
spokesman Vent ON. eve ketched
him in the very act, and he's goin' to
swing if ever 1aso one Of US has to
dance on nothin' tor pay for It. caIt's
him or u.s.
Caught him in the act Of swhat?"
demanded Griswold.
The spokesman shuff1ed with his
feet and hung his bead. He was the
0ringleader of the malcontents; a bur-
ly molder but lately come to Wa
haska, and there had been whispers
pointing to past of his which would
not beaDthe light. Griswold remem-
bered these rumora now, and saw
this: that the mans following was a
detail from the more desperate sec
ton of the strikers. e.
The pause was brief, but being sur
charged with possibilities, seemed
long. AZ length the man threw up
his head.
'4Come here and I'll show you.' he
said. o ea
Griswold followed him a step aside,
TO the Office front sand to breach
IN the palings of the high fence close
at hand. Within the breach, and
heaped against the wall of the frame
Office building, was pile of chips and
shavings, and there was a psngent
Odor of kerosene in the air. The
man pointed in silence.
.sYOu mean to say that he was go
ing to burn us out?" asked GrisSe OLD
Them fxin's speak for themselves,
don't they?"
"But vshy?" Griswold demanded.
The big man snorted scornfully.
"'Tain't no use for yeu to play in
nercent hathaway. Mr.. Griswold.
You know who he is. and what he is,
and what he's here for"
Whereof Griswoid lost his patience
and swore angrily. ''Have done with
your mysterious bush-beating and
say what's in YOU" he raped out.
81 don't know the man.
''You don't, Ell? Well, he's cussed
Pinkerton, that's what he is; and he's
here to make a case against us.
S'pose the works taxes fire and burns
up, and he goes on the stand to swear
we done it? Only he amt never
goin' to get the chance. He's goin'
to quite right here and now. You go
away. Mr.. Griswold. There amt no
call for you to be witness."s
Who shall say what fierce and re-
fentless temptation assaile3 this man
who saw his single pursuer thus in
the tolls? He had but to turn his
back and shrug, and say it was no
concern of his, and this man Griffin,
the only man of all men in the world
who might send him to wear out his
life in Louisiana chain-gang, would
go to his account, and all danger
would be over-past for one Kenneth
Griswold.
No one save the victim of such an
onfall of devils battling for his soul
may know what Griswold endured in
that brief moment of hesitation, If
Griffin himself suspected, he made no
sign; indeed, he had looked on all
through the colloquy as if the sub
ject matter of it concerned him not
at all. But now he spoke; three
words to his accuser, and dozen to
the man whom the devils were as
saulting.
the one; and to the other: Gould
you oblige me with a cigar, Mr.. Girls
Wold?"
Now, however f1ercely the devils of
temptation had assaulted, Griswold
had beaten them off; that and more;
he had "a plan of an attempt at a
rescue half-formed, and this request
of the man about to be hanged
ehimed in with it. He promptly ten
dered the cigar, and the striker who
was pinioning Grifin's right arm me-
chanically loosed his hold that the
prisoner might take it.
1t WAS the moment for the at
tempt, if any there were to be, and
there could be no more collision be-
tween rescuer and captive than might
he compressed into single swift eye
glance. But that sufficed. Griffin
reached for the cigar, but did not
take it. Instead, he converted the
movement into a singing side blow
which felled the man at his left, and
at the same instant sprang back out
ef the circle with Griswold to hold
the Infatuated ones at bay while he
did it.
Any diversion Griswold could make
was necessarily of the briefest. For
some swift-passing second or SO he
delayed the rush by sheer moral
Sravado. The storm broke in a yell
of rage and no two men might with
stand it. Griswold did not try.
Through that hole in the fence!-
I'm with you'll" he said, over his shout
der to the detective; and the thing
was done SO deity that the yelling
mob was foE.the moment nonnlussei,