The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-10-08
CHAPTER XIV.
On the Road.
The wrong boy!

The wrong boy!
For a moment | could not under
stand nor believe; and when the mean
ing of the words came to me | groped
in mental darkness But there was no
time for speculation. Half IN daze
heard a roar of curses, orders, crash
of glass as the lamp was eXtlnguished,
and over all came the prolonged groWl
of a wolf-vOice hoarse and shaken
with anger. There was a vision OF a
wolf-head rising above the outline or
faces a few yards away, dark, DIS
tOrted, fierce, with eyes that Dlazed
threats, and in an instant | found my
self in the center of a struggling,
shouting, swearing mass OF savage
men, fighting with naught but the IN
stiuct of blind rage. | doubt not that
| was as crazy as the rest. But IN
my madness there was one idea strong
in my mind. 1t was to reach the eyeil
face and snake-eyes of Tom Terrill,
and stamp the life out of him. With
desperate rage l shouldered and
fought till his white face with its
yenomous hatred was next to mine,
till the fingers of my left hand gripped
his throat, and my right hand tried
10 beat out his brains with a six
shooter.
Damn yOu!" he gasped, striking
flercely at me. I've been waiting for
you!'
l heightened my grip and spoke no
word. He writhed and turned, striv-
ing to free himself. | had knocked his
revolver from his hand, and he tried
in vain to reach it. A trace Of fear
stole into the venomOus anger of the
one eye that was unobsCured, as he
strOve without success to guard him
self from my blows. But he gave a
sudden thrust, and with a sinuous
writhe he was free, while | was car
ried back by the rush of men with the
amiss with me. Then great light
famed up before me in which the
struggling mob, the close hall and
room, and the universe itself melted
away, and l was alone.
The next impression that came to
me was that of voice from an i'm,
measurable distance.
He's coming to- is said; and then
beside it | heard strange wailing
cry.
What is it," | asked, trying to sit
up My voice seemed to come from
miles away and to belong to some
other man.
That's it, you're all right" said
the voice encouragingly, and about
the half Of Niagara fell on my face.
Then the mists before my eyes
cleared away, and | found that was
on the floor of the inner bedroom anC
Wainwright had emptied a water Jus
over me. The light of small kero
sene lamp gave gloomy illumination
to the place. LoCkhart and Fitzhugt
leaned against the door, and Wilson
bent with Wainwright over me- ThC
boy was sitting on the bed, cryins
shrilly over the melancholy situation
What is it?" | asked, gathering m,
scattered wits. What has happened?
We've been licked" said Vain
wright regretfully. The rest of thu
boys got took, but we got in here
Fitz and me seen the nasty knock yo,
got, and dragged you back, and whel
we got you here the parlor was full
of the hounds and Porter and Abram
and Brown was missing. We founC
you was cut, and we've tried to fl
you up"
! looked at my bandged arm, an,
pat one more count in the indictmen
against Terrill. He had tried to sta
me over the heart at the time he ha,
wrenched free, but he had mereI
siashed my arm. 1t was not a sever
wound, but it gave me pain.
only scratch" said Wainwright
envied the philosophic calm wit
which he regarded it.
It'll h@al." / returned shortly