The Glasgow courier., 1915-12-31

the revolver from the unresisting hand.
1t and slipped it into her bos-
ON. Then she faced the mob and held
up her empty hand.
It was the first time Lahoma had
ever faced an audience larger than that
Of Brick and Bill and VIII
fred. After her uplifted hand had
brought tense silence she sto"1 at a
loss. her eyes big with the a...>..l her
tongue refused to utter
The mob was awed by that light in
her eyes, by the crimson In her cheeks.
by her beauty. freshness and grace.
They would not proceed to violence
while she stood there facing them. Her
power she recognized. but she Under
stood 1t was that Of physical presence
When she was gone her influence would |
depart. They knew Brick and Bill had |
sheltered her from her tenderest years: |
they admired her fidelity. Whatever |
she might say to try to move their
hearts would come from sense Of
gratitude and would be received in tol. |
Grant silence. The more guilty the
highway man the more commendable
her loyalty Rut It would not change
their purpose. AS II waiting for a
storm to pass they stood stolid and
close mouthed. slightly bent forward.
unresisting but unmoved.
I'm a western girl" Lahoma said
at last. land ever since Brick Wilcox
gave me home when | had none I've
lived right over yonder at the foot Of
the mountains | was there when the
cattlemen came, before the Indians
had given up this country, and l was
here when the first settlers moved In
and when the soldiers drove them out.
I was living in the cove with Brick
Wilcox when people came up from
Texas and planted miles and miles of
wheat, and l used to play with the
rusty plows and machinery they left
scattered about after the three years
drought had starved them back to their
homes. Then Old Man Walker came
to Red River, sent his cowboys to
drive US out Of the cove. and your sher-
i if led the bunch. And it was Brick
and myself that stood them off with
our guns, our backs to the wall and
our powder dry, and we never saw
MizzOo in our cove again. So you see
l ought to be able to talk to western
men in a way they can appreciate, and
If there's anybody here that's not
western man-he couldn't underst- Ind
our style anyhow-he'd better go where
he's needed, for out west you need
only western men-like Brick Wilcox,
for instance"
At reference to the we'll known Incl
dent Of MiZzoo's attempt to drive Will
lock from the cove there was sudden
wave Of laughter, none the less hearty
his mouth had opened sheepishly. But
at the recurrence Of Willock's name
the crowd grew serious. They felt the
justice of her claim that out west only
western men We're needed; they ex-
cused her for thinking Brick a model
type. But let any one else hold him
up before them as Il model!
I.ahOma's manner changed. II grew
deeper and more fOrceful.
Men. | want to tai; to you about
this case Will you be the jury: Con
slider what kind of man SwOre out that
warrant against Bricktlle leader OF |:
band of highwaymen! And who's his
chief witness? You don't know Mr.
Gledware. l do. You've heard he's q
. rich and influential citizen in the east
That's true. But I'm going to tell 70,
something to show what he is. ant
what Brick Wilcox is-just one thing
that's all I'll say about the characte
Of either. As to Red Kimball, you don
have to be told. I'm not going to tall
about the general features Of the case
as to whether Brick was ever a high
wayman or not, as to whether he kill
ed Reds brother to save me and m,
stepfather, or did it in cold blood: a
to whether he held up the stage or not
These things you've discussed. You'v
formed opinions about them. | wan
to tell you something you haven
| heard. VIII you listen?''
| At first no one spoke. Then from tn
| crowd came measured impartfs
| voice: 1--WE got lots of time
| She was not discouraged by the il
| timation in the tone that all her speal
\ ing was in vain and plunged into til
j midst of her narrative.
"One evening Brick came on Il d.
y serted movers wagon. He'd travele
\ all day with nothing to eat or drin
and he got into the wagon to escal
the blistering sun. In there he four
a dead woman, stretched on her pale
! He had a great curiosity to see III
face, so he began lifting the cloth tn
n covered her. He saw pearl and ony
pin at her throat. 1t looked like OF
his mother used to wear. So he dro
ped the cloth and never looked at h
face. She had died the evening befol
and he knew she wouldn't have want'
any one to see her then. And he d.
II a grave in the sand. though she W
i nothing to him, and buried her-nev
j seeing her face--and covered the 81
with a great pyramid of stones a.