e house. I thought she was going to town. Instead, after
I'd gotten into the cabin, she came back, surprising me. There wasn't
anything else to do. I killed her, with a revolver.'"

"_Diable_!"

"Easy, Ba'tiste. That's the way you gave it to me, isn't it, Thayer?"

"Yes. I shot twice at her. The first bullet missed."

Again the door of the tiny lobby opened and closed, and a form edged
forward,--Blackburn, summoned from his mill. Thayer glanced at him,
then lowered his eyes. Houston made the additional notation on the
confession and went back to his reading:

"'When I found the deed box, there was only ten thousand dollars in it
instead of the fortune that I had supposed was there. I was about to
take it out and stuff it into my pocket, when I heard a noise outside
the window. Thinking it was Renaud's wolf-dog, and that he might give
the alarm, I pushed the box under my coat and ran out the back door.
The next day, Corbin--or Langdon--came to me and demanded his share of
what I had stolen. He said that he had seen me at the deed box after I
had killed the woman, that he had made the noise outside the window. I
put him off--denying it all. But it wasn't any use. At first he
threatened that he would go to the sheriff at Montview, and for several
days he came to me, telling me that this was the last chance that he
would give me if I didn't let him have his share. I played him for
time. Then he began to beg small amounts of money from me, promising
to keep still if I gave them to him. I guess this kept up for two or
three months, the amounts getting larger all the time. At last, I
wouldn't stand it any longer. He threatened me again,--and then,
suddenly, one day disappeared. I hurried to Montview, thinking of
course that he had gone there, hoping to catch him on the way. But no
one had seen him. Then I went to Tabernacle and learned that he had
bought a ticket for Boston, and that he had left on a morning train. I
knew what was up then; he was going back to tell Old Man Houston and
try to step into my shoes when I was arrested. But I beat him there by
going over the range in an automobile, and taking an earlier train for
Boston. I picked him up when he arrived and trailed him to young
Houston's office. After that I saw them go to a cafe, and from there
to a prize fight. I bought a ticket and watched them from the rear of
the hall. I had my gun with me--I had made up my mind to kill them
bot