The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-10
Aceassnssa.l
CHAPTER xxIv. The Last Straw.

f-f' O0AFtE Ell ANtVs
 The sLast Straw.
 TVHE sun was high when we
 awoke. We were not feeling
 very fresh, to say the least,
 and we took some little dme to g&t straightened around. Then we went down to the Morena cabin.
 I am not going to dwell on what we founp there. All fcnr of its inmates had been killed with buckshot and the plac4 ransacked from end to end. Ap- parently the first volley had killed our former partneEBi and Sonora Morena as they lay. Morena had staggered to his feet and halfway across the room. The excitefn1nf caused by this fright full crime sEas Intense. Every man quit MorkFs "A great crowd assembledA Morton as sherfff was very busy, and loud threats were uttered by his satel- lited (as to the apprehension of the murli6rerA The temper of the crowd, However, was sullen. No man dared truSk his neighbor, and yet every. hon ct breast sweiied with impoteut in dgndtton at this wholesale and un- provided massacre. No clew was pos able. Everybody remembered, of konr1S, how broadcast and publicly the fact of the gold had been scatter cd Nobody dared utter his suspicious # he had any. S
 The victims were buried by . large concourse that eddied and hesitated and muttered long after the graves had been filled in. Vaguely it was felt Z that the condition of affairs was in tolerdb1ey but nc. one knew how itswas to be remedied. Nothing definite could be pfoyed against any one, and yet !. believe that every honest man knew Ito d moral certainty 1t least the cpr t1ins and instigators of the various outrases. A leader could have raised m averaging mob, provided he could A9xe survived the necessary ten min
 We scattered 1t last to our various occupatiops. I was. too much upset to work. 90 I Tfeturned to where Tank was unoking ever the fire. He had, 7 n near as I can remember. said not { ene tOrd since tho discovery Of the tr1gedy. On my approach he took his yop6 from his mouth. y !.
 ~Nothfng doder Hhe inquired. X 4Nothi1g,': replied. What Is there
 Don't know. < said he, replacing lis plpe; then around the stem of it, 'I Was fond of thooe people"
 ssgo was H. agreed sincerely. ssHava you thought what a lucky e. /, cape you yoursSlf hadg'
 Hank nodded. We sat for . long time in silence My thoughts turned < ofowly' snd sullen1y in heavy, im- potent anger. A small bird chirped plaintively from the thicket near at hand. Except for the tinkle of our little stream and the muffled roar of the distant river, this was the only sound to strike across the dead black 6flence of the autumn night So per t1stently did the bird utter it's single < een that at last 1t aroused even my rowucast attention, so that remark { "a cn 1t carelesaly to Tank. He came ont of his brown study and raised his head xs { tits no bird; its . human" he said after listening moment That's q signst Go ses what it is. Just wan der out careieSSly.'
 n the depthe Of the thicket found | human n6uro crouched. It glided to 1e. md 1 made out diinly the squat form of Pete, Barnes negro slave, from the hotel
 {'sLo<;ee, massas whispered he, done thought you nevah would come"
 What Is 1t, Peter I asked in the Dame guarded tones.
 T done got somefin' to tell you. While I ketchin' HI bit 6fs sleep Iohgside that white trash M6ton's !. place done heah dey an plannin' to Z it out warrant for to arres' Massa Fairfax ard Massa Pine and Massa Aa,sh for a-killin' dem men las wee:s, ! and heah dem say dey gwine fer to Gfb dem trial, and if dey fight dey irvine done shoot 'em-"
 That is serious news, Pete,- said |. <yho were talkingT' But Pete, who was already frightened half to death. gre ; suddenly cautious.
 "I don jest rightly know, sah,r he said sullenly. q couldn't tell Jes' Massa Mo'ton. Ee say he gwinesw'ar ln good big posse"
 1T can tcliere that" said thought fully. Pete" turned on him sud- 1enIy, ~don't yen know they'd skin $0u alive if they found out you'd been hee7"
 Pete was shaking violently, and at my words q strong shudder went through h1s frame, and his teeth struck fsinfly together4 t
 "Why did you do itY
 .sMassa Eairfax is quality, sah," he repIied with certain dignity. "I jest | pore nigger, but knows quality when I sees it, and don't aim to have 10 pore white truck kill none of my 16Iks if I can help it."
 % "Pete,~ said l, fully satisfied, "you ars good fellow. Now get along bdck.~s
 ss Hs disappeared before the words were fairiy 0ut cf my mouth.
 ssYank,v I announced, returning to the 0xs, sI've got to 90 uptown. That Nas Pete, Besns6 nigger, to say that lAsyvs o6t out . isga1 warrant for 1Ae ezyEs11 nelIsnGpW arrest for that :.