The Irish standard., 1904-02-27

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belonging to my cousin, Consuelo
Lorimer. Bring it and you shall not
be injured
But if l did she'd be injured!"
Don't let them take me, Mr. Lin
coln." besought Peggy from the midst
of the riders. Il will not go Where's
Antywine?"
Boys, you ought to be ashamed Of
yourselves"
I'VE didn't come out for speech,
Abe" Knocked Redmond Clary.
And I'm not practicing polemics."'
"You get the girls money and hand
it over"
you let her out of that gang"
The gang growled.
eve have crowd and you have Just
two hackers. New Salem people can't
do anything. We don't want to hurt
you, Abe, unless we have to-"
"String him up like horsethief!"
cried man at the rear.
Are you going to hand over the
Spaniard's money!"
mo, I'm not" replied Lincoln.
ride him down." cried another, and
the horses were spurred forward.
Some women and children shrieked in
fright as the three young fellows were
driven in retreat to Antywine's cabin
and sprang upon the chest of drawers
Standing close together with that short
rostrum under their feet, they faced
about the ring Of horsemen who drew
up around them. The perforated tin
lanterns showered drops of yellow light
on trampled grass. Behind the mems
heads and shoulders were void of
trees and the starlit sky, and the ex-
cited murmur of New Salem. Lincoln
lowered in the midst Of the circle.
Now men, listen to me one minute"
exclaimed Dick Yates.
We're not here to listen," ruled the
leader.
"These boys ought to be put out"
one man insisted. eve don't want
them"
Let my cousins property be re-
stored to her." spoke Pedro Lorimer,
without delay"
"And who are you?" demanded
Yates, the beauty of his rosy youth,
which had been felt rather than seen,
changing suddenly to the power of
man with irresistible magnetism. His
voice rolled out across the wall of
rough faces. His eyes had scathing
lights. His unwilling listeners raised
their lanterns to look at him. 81 have
been gathering facts about you for
more than year. You are New Or
leans gambler. You ply your trade
under cover OF some political scheme
about Cuba, a place you never saw.
All you want Of the poor young girl
sitting on the horse beside you, is the
handful of money her father contrived
to hide from you. You think it is a
very large sum. 1t is about two
thousand dollars. If it hadn't been for
poor old Shickshack you would have
robbed her long ago. You paid Shicll-
shack's half crazy, avaricious wife to
send you word where he could be
found, every time he moved to get rid
of you.
"These men wouldn't send child as
helpless as one of their own sisters
with you, If they llnew you. You play
the grandee before them. And in the
west we always have backed a man up
in taking his own when his rights were
denied. But the only right you have
in this community Is to be dipped in
the Sangamon!"
Lincoln, who had seen knife thrown
at Antywine's head for fewer words,
kept his eye guarding the indistinct
movements of the Spaniard. An I'M
easy tremor ran around what had been
dead wall of antagonism. But I'M
fortunately Mahala Cameron's father
now lifted his voice from the back
ground, and in the character of min
lister exhorted Redmond Clary to draw
his followers homeward and cease
abetting the ungodly. Redmond Clary
turned on him and told him to go home
himself, or he might be neatly laid be-
side his daddy in the Concord burying-
ground.
One word had swiftly followed
another while Lincoln gagged the force
drawn around him. His hair was
rumpled over the arch of his head.
His strong nose and clean-cut neck and
the outward curving of his lips showed
by fitful light above his shorter COM
panions. Some radiation from his
personality made one Of the men eX-
claim:
'Abe, we know you're honest. But
if you're too stubborn to hand over
that money we've got barrel at the
mill all ready to roll you into the
river"
"Wait!" said Lincoln, stretching out
a long fore finger.
Pedro Lorimer Kissed at him: 81
do not wait while boys practice
speeches! l could myself in return call
my enemies names. This is not what
was promised me-"
"What Red Clary promised you, )"
stated Lincoln with intuition which
amounted to knowledge. "was If you
would cancel his gambling debts he
would make me hand over the little
Spaniard's money"
Redmond Clary flung himself of
his horse and ran at his accuser. The
time for words was past. II the figure
towering above them all had stood
with less assurance, the. raging leader
might have led his mob to crue
murder But Lincolns humorous eye
spread contagion of smiles as he
caught the bull-bodied champion of the
Grove by the collar and flung that mus.
cular bulk across the ring to cool.
| There was to be fight The mer