Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-03-14

alike.
Then how can you hold court?"
We have gone back TO the time
when church aud state were one aud
inseparable. and court eonve3es at 10
o'clock sharp in the meeting house.
be said.
Louise was looking white and mis-
cradle.
You are not contemplating running
away. are you?" asked Gordon. This
is unusual weather-really."
She looked at him with a pitiful
smile.
Il should like to be strong and
brave and enduring and capable-like
Mary. You don't believe II. do you?
It's true. though. But | can't. I'm
weak and homesick and cold 1 ought
not 10 have come. I am not the klnd.
You said It, you know. am going
home just as scon as. this court is
over. / mean II"
There was no installing that Cor
don bowed his head. His face was
white. X had come sooner than he
had thought.
All the records Of the work yester-
day had been burned. There was moth
ing TO do but begin at the beginning
again. It was discourasing. uninter-
esting But II had 10 be done Dale
refused positively to adjourn The
jurymen were all here. So the little
frame church was bargained for. IL
the fire-bugs had thought TO postpone
events-to gain time-by last nights
work. they would find themselves very
greatly mistaken. The church was
long and narrow like country school
house. and rather roomy considering
the size OF the town It had precise
windows-also like a country school
house--four on the west side. through
which the fine snow was drifting. four
opposite. The storm kept few at
home with the exception Of the people
from across the river There were
enough staying IN the town TO ill the
room to its utmost limits. Standing
room was at premium. The entry
was crowded. Men not able to get in
ploughed back through the cutting
wind and snow only TO return present
ly 10 see IL the situation had changed
any during their brief absence. So
all the work OF yesterday was gone
over again.
SO close was the pack OF people that
the fire roaring in the big stove in the
middle OF the room was allowed TO
sink in smouldering quiet The heavy
air had been unbearable else. The
snow that had been brought in on
tramping feet lay in little melted
pools on the rough flooring. Men for
4
10 chew their gum-except one or two
extremely nervous ones whose jaws
moved the faster under the stimulus
OF hysteria. Jesse Black was telling
his story.
Along toward the LIST or last July.
l took hike out into the Indian coun-
try to buy a few head o. cattle.
trade considerable with the half
breeds around Crow creek and Lower
Brule. They're always for sellin' and
n IL comes to n showdown never bag
gle much about the lucre-it all goes
for snake-iuice anyway. Well, landed
at John yellow VOLTS shanty along
about noon and found there was 9TH
ers ahead OF me. Yellow Wolf always
was popular cuss. There was Char
lAt -NAn AANAAMa NAE AAUAANts Ntrc6 DIX
Cloud and two or three others whose
mugs I did not happen to be onto
After our feed. we all strolled out 10
the corral. Yellow Wolf said he had
bought a likely little bunch from some
English feller who was skipping the
cOuntry-starved out and homesick--
and hadn't put EN- on the range yet
He said r was the English feller's
brand. | didn't suspicion no under
hand dealin's. Yellow VOLTS always
treated me white before. so / bar
gained for this here chap and three or
four others and then pulled out for
home driving the bunch. They fed at
home for a spell and then ! decided to
put EN- on the range. On the way
fell in with Billy Brown here. He
was dead set on hayin' the lot 10 I'LL in
the chinks OF the two car loads he was
shippin'. so l up and lets him have
'em. / showed him this here bill-o'-
sale from Yellow Wolf and made him
out one from me. and that was all
there was TO IL. He rode TO Velpen
and l turned on my trail"
IL was a straight story. and appar-
emily damaging for the prosecution. Il
corroborated the attestations OF other
witnesses--many others. IL had a
plausible ring to II. Two bills OF sale
radiated atmospheric legality II there
had been dirty work It must have orig
inted with that renegade halfbreed.
Yellow Wolf. And Yellow Wolf was
dead. He had died while serving a
term In the penitentiary for cattle
rustling. Uncle Sam himself had set
the seal upon him-and now he was
dead. This insinuated charge he
could not answer. The finaIity OF 1t
seemed TO Sc, its stamp upon the peo-
pie gathered there-upon the - good
men and true, as well as upon Others.
Yellow Wolf was dead George Will
| liston was dead. Their secrets had
died with them. An inscrutable fate
had lowered the veil Who could
pierce it? One might believe. but who
could know? And the law required
| knowledge.
We viii call Charlie Nightbird,"
4 said Small oDVnrI1r1~tlx-