The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 45: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE MAN WHO MUST BE HANGED, He thought of Hilairy. He was so young; he had not begun to live. And Hilairy——it would kill her if he met the fate declared for him by this district at- torney. He knew perfectly that she would suffer it all with him—no, a thousand times more than his part. He was much too proud to ask mercy for himself. But for Hilairy— He stepped in the falling snow directly before the district attorney. For a moment he did not speak, but looked down at the man whose life he had spared because he was not a murderer; the man who insisted he was a murderer. Then he laughed and put a disorderly lock of hair out of his eyes with thumb and forefinger. He could hear the horned larks, the weeds and twigs settling, and a dozen other snatches of music to which the district at- torney was deaf. In the black depths of his eyes lurked trouble, but over it a great joy of living sparkled. ‘T hope you don’t think I’m such a bum shot as to miss by aecident,” he laughed. ‘““T hope you know why I insisted on hav- ing the long straw.’ His smile was trem- ulous, wanting to be understood. The district attorney looked at him a long while. At last he said: “You did that for me?” Lord shrugged one shoulder. “Indeed no, I’ve got no love for you and I loathe your business. But I’ve never had the blood of a fellow creature on my hands, and. I couldn’t have stood it. I’d have shot myself afterward.” He looked curiously at the lawyer. A lawyer was to him a cold, alien creature, like a snake. “When you get to Kahokia you’ll hear that I wasn’t in custody at all; that phone message you got before starting on your present trip was a mistake.”’ Lord had, in fact, got it sent as a ruse. If the Kahokia posse out in search of him could be made to believe he was under arrest somewhere and go Home he might get out of the county. “ T thought you might have broken jail,” said McRae, “ with the help of the girl in the tar-papered shack.”’ Lord turned on him. gay gesture made with both hands. ‘You mustn’t think Hilairy is mixed up ir. my affairs. If ever you try to drag her into court I'll kil you! Do you hear? She hates me. She’s mortally afraid of me. We used to know each other in Mis- souri, but I didn’t follow her out here to get her into trouble. Besides, if I asked her to help me out she’d give me away in a minute.” . McRae smiled to himself. The boy saw that his attempt to deceive was unsuccess- ful and threw it up with a laugh and a Then he recalled what a fool Hilairy had made of this little man. And his black eyes sparkled with enjoyment. “Lord,” broke in McRae, “ get out of this life. Come to Queen City with me.” The boy’s eyes grew wistful. “If you will assist in finding the others and getting a conviction,” resumed the dis- trict attorney, ‘‘ I can give you, if not com- plete immunity—”’ . Lord’s laugh of contempt made him wince; but he went on: ‘““T can’t show you any favors, Lord. If you are caught, as you will be some day—” Lord shook his head impatiently. “Well, I didn’t stop you to ask you about that.” He paused. He had intended making a clean breast of something to the district attorney. It was this: At the time of the jail breach he had dragged that man with the small head— who was almost half-witted—out of the jail by the ruse of covering him with a stick, which the poor creature thought was a gun. There was no reason why the wretch should be outlawed; he was as guiltless of the crime as McRae himself. And Rawley Lora was afraid that if Pinhead should be arrested and in danger of being hanged he would be tormented past endurance by his conscience. He might go give himself up—like a fool! Schwartz and Slim were fiends, deserv- ing anything they might get. But he wanted with all his heart to have that poor devil off his conscience. Only, as he looked at the district attorney, he suddenly re- alized that there was a great gulf between. McRae would not believe anything he said; oO cComiclboo 39, S CO