FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84  
85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   >>   >|  
ed, "my brother had a hasty temper, and he drew first---but Gage fired the killing shot." "So that the law would say that Gage fired in self-defense, eh?" "That's what a coroner's jury did say," Jim admitted angrily. "But my brother was a young fellow, and hot-headed. Gage knew he could provoke the boy into firing, and then, when the boy missed, Gage drilled him through the head." "I don't want to say anything unkind, Jim," Reade went on, thoughtfully. "Please don't misunderstand me. But, as I understand the affair, if your brother hadn't been carrying a pistol he wouldn't have been killed?" "Perhaps not," Ferrers grudgingly admitted. "Then the killing came about through the bad practice of carrying a revolver?" "Bad practice!" snorted Jim. "Well, if that's a bad practice more'n half the men in the state have the vice." "Popular custom may not make a thing right," argued Reade. "But what are you going to do when the men who have a grudge against you pack guns?" Jim queried, opening his eyes very wide. "I've had a few enemies---bad ones, too, some of them," Tom answered slowly. "Yet I've always refused to carry an implement of murder, even when I've been among rough enemies. And yet I'm alive. If I had carried a pistol ever since I came West I'm almost certain that I'd be dead by this time." "But if you won't carry a gun, and let folks suspect you of being a white-flagger, then you get the reputation of being a coward," argued Ferrers. "Then I suppose I've been voted a coward long ago," Reade nodded. "No, by the Great Nugget, you're not a coward," retorted Ferrers. "No man who has seen you in a tough place will ever set you down for a coward." "Yet I must be, if I don't tote a gun in a wild country," smiled Reade. "But to go back to the case of that good-for-nothing, Dolph Gage," Jim Ferrers resumed. "You advise me to forget that he shot at me?" "Oh, no, I don't," Tom retorted quietly. "But you don't have to go out and take your own revenge. There are laws in this state, aren't there?" "Of course." "And officers to execute the laws" "To be sure." "Then why not go back to Dugout City, there to lay information against Gage. That done, the sheriff's officers will have to do the hunting. Having nothing personal against the officers, Gage will very likely hold up his hands when the officers find him, and then go back with them as peaceable as a lamb. Jim, you want to
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84  
85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Ferrers

 

officers

 

coward

 
practice
 
brother
 

carrying

 
pistol
 

retorted

 

argued

 

enemies


admitted
 

killing

 

smiled

 

country

 

flagger

 
suspect
 

reputation

 

nodded

 

Nugget

 
suppose

resumed

 
information
 

sheriff

 

hunting

 

Dugout

 

Having

 

personal

 
peaceable
 

execute

 

quietly


forget

 

advise

 

revenge

 

temper

 

Popular

 

custom

 

firing

 

headed

 

grudge

 

provoke


snorted

 

wouldn

 

thoughtfully

 

affair

 

misunderstand

 

Please

 
unkind
 

killed

 

drilled

 

missed