The Lamar register., 1920-11-17

to see himself hanged?
And there the Pearlhunter stood.
with the rope around his neck-the
wrong neck-and no proof 10 put II
around the right one Something
swelled under the rope: something
that surged up to his eyes and struck
out splinter of fire. lie turned 10
the man on the horse.
sheriff II you'll stick my gun back
and cut my hands loose, III rope you
the real II ed Mask"
II was an unwlse thing to say. He
knew It the moment he'd said IL. II
was unlike him. The man leaning in
apparent carelessness against the
hitch rack was probably quite un
aware that he was suspected. II
might prove costly mistake to let
him know that he was. Besides. II
was extremely unlikely that he would
have the pearl still on him. with the
pearl gone. the proof would be gone.
The Pearlhunter's usual slow caution
should have brought a good many con
siderations TO his mind before he said
that. But a rope around mans meek
makes a prodigious difference In the
look OF things. one cannot help won
derlng what would have been the ont
come had the sheriff needed the re-
quest and cut loose the hands OF his
prisoner. Things would have hap
pened-nnd they would have hap
pened fast
The sheriff lansbed; a hard, raspy
laugh A good many things In thai
laugh: the Jangle Of handouts; the
crate of keys In stin locks-bnt never
a mite OF mirth.
He's roped now"
He's not" was the Pearlhunter's
incautious answer. but he's handy
He had purposely raised his voice.
But the man for whose ear II was IN
tended never shifted his position:
never changed. even In the slightest
his easy smile He did slip his hand
down the front of his frock coat and
loosen II against his side hut that
wns all
The sheriff swore: turned slowly IN
his saddle and glanced the crowd over
ladies an gentlemen" he said. rails
ing his voice "as ! said before this
man is entitled TO II trial. an n trial
nell git He'll hang-but TN he the
law that hangs I'm, an not Won. I ad-
wise You Ia break MP this damn fool
ishness an 20 home"
1t could be seen with half an eye
that the sheriff was in no humor 10
stand any back talk The crowd didn't
try IT; they obeyed-many sullenly.
some grumbling openly. \ few stayed.
The man leaning against the hitch
rack went back to the Mud Hen.
The village OF buckeye Straggles
for q quarter Of a mile along the river
road The road is bigger Institution
than the town 1t formed the princi-
pal street. The village lookup. or
jail, stood in plain sight short way
to the west on the north side OF the
road
The sheriff dismounted, picked up
the slit and trampled blouse. threw II
about the shoulders of his prisoner
and united the severed rope end still
knotted about his neck. With NUT
tered command, he made slight mo
ton toward the jail with his revolver.
The Pearlhunter. still with bound
hands, his shirt so tattered that II
left him half-nalIed from his waist up.
the blood upon his face and body fast
stiffenlng into clots. obeyed the com
mand.
Inside the lookup the sheriff! cut his
hands loose. and Immediately stepped
outside and locked the door. seeming
to have no fancy to tarry after his
prisoners hands were free. Turning
back to his prisoner he pointed out
his house and told him he would bring
over some supper later on.
The Buckeye lookup was two
story. rectangular structure of heavy
logs. There were two cells, with a
hallway between, on the first floor,
and the same arrangement above. The
Pearlhunter was the only prisoner, so
he had free range OF both lower cells.
The barred gate opening to the stair
leading to the upper floor was heavily
padlocked The door of the jail faced
south-faced the river road. Each
cell had one window; the window of
the one looking east, the window OF
the other looking west These win
dows were both rather larger than
might have been expected. Each con-