The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1921-02-03
The mon muttered ominously but


clearness TO the outskirts of the
crowd. He swept his eyes over the
heads of the others like man looking
for something he fully expected to
find. He was not disappointed. In
the outer edge of the crowd, leaning
carelessly against hitch rack, stood
the man he was expecting to see. He
had come out of the Mud Hen at the
beginning of the uproar but had taken
no part in the lynching. He didn't
need to. He had whole town to do
1t for him.
The Pearlhunter was not surprised
to see him there. Why shouldn't he
be there, a very much interested spec
tatOr at the final working out Of his
well-laid plot, plot that had worked
out 80 infinitely better than he had
plannedT Why shouldn't man come
to see himself hanged?
And there the Pearlhunter stood.
with the rope around his neck-the
wrong neck-and no proof 10 put 1t
around the right one. Something
swelled under the rope something
that surged up to his eyes and struck
out a splinter of fire. He turned to
the man on the horse.
sheriff If you'll stick my gun back
and cut my hands loose, I'll rope you
the real Red Mask"
II was an unwiSe thing TO say. He
knew II the moment he'd said It. 1t
lnpninO
apparent carelessness against the
hitch rack was probably quite I'M
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 good many con-
siderations TO his mind before he said
that. But rope around mans neck
makes a prodigious difference in the
look Of things. One cannot help won
dering what would have been the out
come had the sheriff needed the re-
quest and cut loose the hands of his
prisoner. Things would have hap
pened-and they would have hap
pened fast.
The sheriff laughed; hard, raspy
laugh. A good many things in that
laugh: the iangle OF handouts; the
CRATE of keys in stiff locks-but never
a mite of mirth.
Hes rOped now"
Hes 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 it against his side, but that
was ALL
The sheriff swOre; turned slowly In
his saddle and glanced the crowd over.
Ladies' an gentlemen" he said. rails
ing his voice, "as l said before. this
man IL entitled TO trial an a trial
he'll git. He'll hang-but it'll be the
law that hangs i'm, an not you. l adj
wise you to break mp this damn fool
ishness an go home"
It could be seen with half an eve
| that the sheriff was In no humor to
stand any back talk. The crowd didn't
| try It; they obeyed-many sullenly,
some grumbling openly. A few stayed.
The man leaning against the hitch
rack went back to the Mud Hen.
The village Of Buckeye struggles
for quarter Of 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 n short way
TO the west on the north side of the
road.
The sheriff dismounted. picked up
the slit and trampled blouse. threw 1t
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 It
the blood upon his face and body fast
stiffening 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. 40
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-