Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1916-12-27

nanQ ana pOlnteO.
"Thet thar feller-he's Buck
Duane!" he painted.
An angry murmur ran through the
surrounding crowd.
1.-THE ropel The rope! Throw 1t
over a branch! String him up!" cried
an excited vilager.
"Abe, how do you know this fellow
is Buck Duane?" the cowboy asked,
sharply.
"Why--he said 60" replied the man
called Abe.
"What!" came the exclamation, in.
credulously.
ats tarnal fact" panted Aba
waving his hand Importantly. He
was an old man and appeared to be
carried away with the significance OF
his deed. "He like to rid his boss
right over us-all. Then he jumped OF,
says he was Buck Duane, an he want
ed to see JEFF Aiken bad"
This speech caused second COM
motion as noisy though not SO enduring
as the first. When the cowboy, assist
ed by a couple Of his mates, had re-
stored order again, someone had
slipped the noose-end Of Duane's rope
over his head.
Cup with him!" screeched wild
eyed youth.
The mob surged closer was showed
hack nv the c0whOva.
"Abe, If he's Buck Duane how'n hell
did you get hold Of his gun?" bluntly
queried the cowboy.
"Why-he set down thar-an' he
kind Of hid his face on his hand. An
grabbed his gun an got the drop on
him.
What the cowboy thought Of this
was expressed in laugh. His mates
likewise grinned broadly. Then the
leader turned to Duane.
Stranger, / reckon you'd better
speak up for yourself" he said.
That stilled the crowd as no COM
mand had done. ''Tm Buck Duane,
all right" said Duane, quietly. ut was
this way"
The big cowboy seemed to vibrate
with a shock. All the ruddy warmth
left his face; his jaw began to bulge;
the corded veins in his neck stood out
Id knots. In an instant he had hard,
stern, strange look. He shot out q
powerful hand that fastened in the
front Of Duane's blouse.
"Somethin' queer here. But II
you're Duane you're sure in bad. Any
fool ought to know that. You mean
it, then?'
''Tm Duane; yes But won't stand
for the blame of things / never did.
That's why I'm here. I saw that pla-
card out there offering the reward.
Until now I never was within half a
days ride of this town. I'm blamed
for what never did. l rode in here,
told who was, asked somebody to
send for JEFF Aiken"
"An' then you set down an let this
old guy throw your own gun on your"
queried the cowboy in amazement.
Il guess that's ii" replied Duane.
'"IVell, it's powerful strange, if you're
really Buck Duane what do you want
to see Aiken for?''
II wanted to face him, to tell him [
never harmed his Wife"
Suppose we send for Aiken an he
hears you an doesn't believe you;
what them"
IF he won't believe newly. then
my cases so bad-Td be better on
dead"
A momentary silence was broken by
Sibert.
IF this isn't queer deal! Boys.
reckon we'd better send for JEFF"
Somebody went fer him. He'll be
comm soon," replied man.
Duane stood head taller than that
circle Of curious faces. He gazed out
above and beyond them. 1t was in this
way that he CHANGED to see number
Of women on the outskirts Of the
crowd. Some were old, with hard
faces. like the men. Some were young
and comedy, and most Of these seemed
agitated by excitement or distress.
They cast fearful, plying glances up
on Duane as he stood there with that
moose around his neck. Women were
more human than men, Duane thought.
He met eyes that dilated, seemed
fascinated at his gaze, but were not
averted It was the old women who
were voluble, loud in expression of
their feelings.
'.Thar comes JEFF Aiken now," called
a man, loudly.
The crowd shifted and trdtnpled in
eagerness
Duane saw two men coming fast,
one of whom, in the lead, was of stall
wart build. He had gun in his hand,
and his manner was that Of fierce en-
ergy.
The cowboy Sibert thrust open the
jostling circle Of men.
Hold on. Jeff." he called, and he
blocked the man with the gun. He
spoke so low Duane could not hear
what he said, and his form hid Aiken's
face. At that juncture the crowd
spread out, closed In, and Aiken and
Siber.. were caught In the circle. There
was pushing forward, pressing Of
many bodies. hoarse cries and fiinging
hands again che insane tumult was
about to break out-the demand for
an outlaws blood, tn. call for !. wild
justice executed a thousand times be-
fore on Texas bloody soil.
Sibert beloved at the dark en-
n~ocoltrrv ,,,n n,hx, on1uhrv,c