The Delta independent., 1915-07-23

matter on the side that concerns only
us. 1t wouldn't interest these other
gentlemen" He opened his hand. and
added: Here, eat that!"
Farbish with frightened glance
at the set face of the man who was ad-
vancing upon him, leaped back, and
drew from his pocket pistol-it was
an exact counterpart of the one with
which he had supplied Samson.
With a panther-like swiftness, the
Kentuckian leaped forward. and struck
up the weapon, which spat one in.
effective bullet into the rafters. There
was a momentary scuffie of swaying
bodies and a crash under which the
table groaned amid the shattering
of glass and china. Then, slowly, the
conspirator's body bent back at the
waist, until its shoulders we're
stretched on the disarranged cloth,
and the white face, with purple veins
swelling on the forehead, stared up
between two brown hands that gripped
it's throat
Swallow that!" ordered the noun
talneer.
For just an instant, the company
oloou tuCh
unnatural voice broke the silence.
stop him, he's going to kill the
mani"
The odds were four to two, and
with sudden rally to the support of
their chief plotter the other conspira-
tors rushed the figure that stood throt.
Ting his victim. But Samson South
was in his element. The dammed-up
wrath that had been smoldering dur
ing these last days was having tenn.
pestuous outlet. He had found men
who, in a gentlemen's club to which
he had come as guest, sought to
use him as catspaw and murderer.
AS they assaulted him. en- masse,
he seized a chair, and swung 1t fail
like about his head For few mo-
ments, there was a crashing Of glass
and china, and a clatter of furniture
and chaos of struggle.
Samson South stood for moment
painting in a scene of wreckage and
disorder. The table was Uttered with
shivered glasses and decanters and
chinaware The furniture was scat
tered and overturned. Farbish was
weakly leaning to one side in the seat
to which he had made his way. The
men who had gone down under the
heavy blows of the chair lay quietly
where they had fallen.
Wilfred Horton stood waiting. The
whole affair had transpired with such
celerity and speed that he had hardly
understood it, and had taken no part.
But, as he met the gaze of the dis
ordered figure across the wreckage of
a dinner-table, he realized that now,
with the preliminaries settled, he who
had struck Samson in the face must
give satisfaction for the blow. Horton
was sober, as cold sober as though he
had jumped into ice-water, and though
he was not in the least afraid, he was
mortified, and. had apology at such a
time been possible, would have made
1t. He knew that he had misjudged
his man; he saw the outlines of the
plot as plainly as Samson had seen
them, though more tardily
Samson's toe touched the pistol
which had dropped from Farbish's
hand and he contemptuously kicked 1t
to one side. He came back to his
place.
NOW, I1oitOht hS coAA W 49,
man who stood looking about with a
dazed expression, "if you're still of the
same mind, can accommodate you.
You lied when you said l was saw
age-though just now 1t sort of looks
like / was, and'''-he paused, then
added-"and I'm ready either to fight
or shake hands. Either way suits
me-"
For the moment, Horton did not
speak, and Samson slowly went on:
But, whether we fight or not you've
got to shake hands with me when we're
finished. You and me amt going to
start no feud This is the first time
I've ever refused to let man be my
enemy II he wanted to. I've got my
reasons. I'm going to make you shake
hands with me whether you like 1t or
not. but II you want to fight first it's
satisfactory. You said awhile ago you
would be glad to be more explicit with
me when we were alone" He paused
and looked about the room. Shall
throw these damned murderers out OF
here, or will you go into another room
and talk?"
Leave them where they are" said
Horton, quietly. We'll go into the
reading-room. Have you killed any OF
them?"
II don't know" said the other, curt
ly, "and don't care"
When they were alone. Samson
went on:
"I know what you want to ask me
about, and don't mean to answer you.
You want to question me about Miss
Iescott. Whatever she and ] have