e
board walk in front of Colonel Hornberger's house. Then he knew the way.
The board walk passed the Block. He ran on it fast as he could, and
burst in upon Lizzi as she sat before the fire with her face buried in
her hands.

Between gasps for breath he began to tell his story, while his head
resounded with whirring noises and his temples throbbed as if they would
burst.

"Mind the baby, Benner," she called to him from the porch before he had
finished.

A wail from the infant directed him to the cradle. Kneeling beside it,
he struggled with his cough and rocked the crying child.

When the lynchers entered the bridge, Henry Myers climbed up to one of
the cross-pieces. The end of the rope was thrown to him, and he made it
fast. Then Gill was placed on a chair.

"Yer hev got ter die, John Gillfillan, an' yer may as well make a clean
breast uv it," said Henry, his feet dangling not far from Gill's head.

The sullen faces of the angry men did not seem to frighten Gill, who
could see them plainly in the light of several stable-lanterns
distributed through the crowd. The rope pressed against his neck, but
his hands were unbound.

"We'll give yer three minits ter make up yer mind, not as we've got enny
doubts 'bout yer guilt, but we think yer might die easier hevin' told
the truth onct in yer life."

Henry took a bull's-eye watch from his vest-pocket and asked for a
lantern. By its light he grimly watched the hands.

The silence in the bridge was so intense that Gill could hear the watch
tick, and the sounds of Blind Benner's feet striking the board walk as
he ran to Lizzi were borne to the ears of the crowd.

At last Henry said:

"Yer hev jist got a quarter uv a minit, Gill."

Clearing his throat, Gill made a sign with his hand that he was going to
speak. The men came closer to him, and Henry put his watch away.

"I guess I ought to tell. I did set fire to the store because I wanted
to get rid of the books. I meant to get out in time through the window;
was just going to open it and jump when I heard Lizzi"--his voice
faltered a little--"call for help and her axe strike the door
downstairs. Then I thought I'd let her save me. You know how she pulled
me out, but you didn't know that I was pretending I was overcome with
the smoke."

"Why did yer want ter burn the books?" asked Thomas Myers.

"Because I had been stealing from Colonel Hornberger, and couldn't have
hid it much longer."

He was very calm, but h