The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-09-19
The Man Under
the Tree
BY Don Mark Lemon
Copyright. by shortstory Pub. Co.,

IL would be a grim, unpleasant piece
or work, to be sure; but what else
could they do? The most valuable
horses of the settlement had been
stolen, one after another, with con
summate daring and cunning, and
now that they had the guilty party in
their power, were they to let him 20
because to hang him would be an un-
pleasant duty?
Boys, all Of you that have horse
you wouldn't like to lose, just step
over here"
Nine Of the ten came from under
the tree and gathered beside their
leader in the open. The tenth man
the man who remained in the shadow
of the tree-was bound hand and foot
and couldn't very we'll change his
position. Besides, he was the horse
thief"
well, boys" demanded the leader,
"are VIC a quorum
"Sure!"
Then he hangs?"
The nine men nodded their heads.
Good"
Hold on, gentlemen!" cried the
Man under the Tree. 81 wish again
to assert that bought this horse
which you accuse me of stealing, and
paid $500 for her"
There was loud guffaw.
you don't believe me, gentlemen"
The Man under the Tree seemed
hurt.
Believe you!" said the leader.
why, stranger, that's old wilkins
Bess and he'd haYe parted with his
grandmother first"
But, gentlemen" expostulated the
Man under the Tree. wouldn't Il he
wise to look up Wilkins first and ask
him?"
The leader smiling, said: Stranger.
were you ever hanged"
The Man under the Tree made a
deprecatory movement. "Only twice, ="
he said.
We'll, you're a cool UNI" exclaimed
the leader, when lie again got his
breath.
The members of the quorum then
gathered in a body around the Man
under the Tree. One OF them took q
lariat from his arm and another ad.
iusted 1t about the prisoners neck
This last man was the leader himself
down among sailor knots nor in popu.
lar religious works, II was a hang.
mans knot and II had never been
known to fail when given fair trial.
Then the loose end of the lariat
was thrown over a strong limb of the
tree.
Gently, boys!" cautioned the lead.
er Gently! He comes of good fam.
lily and perhaps II he hadn't been q
hoss thief he had been a honor to the
community. Gently"
The body OF the prisoner was drawn
up, the loose end of the lariat Sc
curely fixed, and the quorum stood off
and viewed its work. The hanged
man swung about six feet off the
ground. his face twisting towards the
tree, so that the men beneath could
not well see its expression. How
ever they did not wish to-
TOO bad" murmured the leader
that his education was neglected
But it's too late now boys, for moral
suasion!'
The others silently nodded their
heads In confirmation of this quorum,
and mounting their horses rode has.
tily away with the bay of Wilkins
in the lead
Arriving at the settlement, about
half mile distant, the stern body
gathered under the roof of the Red
Dog and began game of faro.
Wont old Wilkins be glad when he
sets eyes os that bay of his again?
The meetin II he Just like father
iindin' long lost daughter"
But the whisky being strong and the
playing high, the men soon forgot
about wilkins, the Man under the
Tree and the bay horse, and not until
wilkins himself came walking into
the Red Dog did the incidents Of
the earlier forenoon again recur to
them.
Hello, Wilkins." cried the speak.
err of the late quorum. "lIow's Bess?"
"Bess? Oh, she's outside. buyin'
canned goods"
"Buyin' canned goods. Is she2" ques
toned the cowman. "Whin d.d ye
learn her the thrickF
wilkins looked about and seeing q
grin on every face realized the con
fusion of terms. "Oh, you mean the
bay not GNy wife?"
"Sure!"
"Well" rejoined wilkins, hitchlng
uneasily, 81 mught as well let the cat
out o. the bag before it's got kittens
sold Bess this mornin' to-"
The sentence was never finished
or its end fairly drowned in a chorus
OF He'll"
Cant a man sell his own horse?"
demanded wilkins.
A glass of raw spirits whizzed over
his head and crashed against the op
posite wall.
"Why you lop-eared coyote, amt
We got no more iudgm+nt than to sell
horse widout first tellin livery man
wild rope fur twinty miles aroun'!