Surely he had never felt
so before; perhaps his mind was not right--his wound and all his mental
trouble had affected his nerves, and then a genuine thrill of horror
went over him. Might not this be the particular form of punishment
Providence had singled out for the murderer of Sally Dawson--might it
not be the grewsome, belated answer to her mother's prayer?
Just then Harriet entered the room softly and turned his light down
still lower.
"Stay back here," she said, her tone almost a command.
"Why?"
"If they get Toot out, it would be just like him to try to-- You--you
are not strong enough to get out of their way. Oh, I don't know what
to do!" She went back to the window in the next room. He followed her,
and stood by her side.
The white figures had dismounted at the jail. They paused at the gate
a moment, then filed into the yard and stood at the door. The leader
rapped on it loudly.
"Hello in thar, Tarpley Brown, show yorese'f!" he cried.
There was a silence for a moment. In the moonlight the body of men
looked like a snowdrift against the jail.
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