FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   >>  
s to the ladies--important business matter. I'll be getting out the buzz wagon. You shall see Mary Selden. You shall also see how right well and featly our no-bel and intrepid young hero bore himself, just a-pitchin' and a-rarin', when inclination jibed with jooty!" Two minutes later they took the curve by the big gate on two wheels. As they straightened into the river road, Mr. Sedgwick spread one hand over his heart, rolled his eyes heavenward and observed with fine dramatic effect: "'I claim your pr-r-r-r-omise'!" Mr. Johnson sat in a cell of Vesper Jail, charged with assault and battery in the _n_th degree; drunk and disorderly understood, but that charge unpreferred as yet. It is no part of legal method to bring one accused of intoxication before the magistrate at once, so that the judicial mind may see for itself. By this capital arrangement, the justly intoxicated may be acquitted for lack of convincing evidence, after they have had time to sober up; while the unjustly accused, who should go free on sight, are at the mercy of such evidence as the unjust accuser sees fit to bring or send. The Messrs. Poole had executed their commission upon Vesper Bridge, pouncing upon Mr. Johnson as he passed between them, all unsuspecting. They might well have failed in their errand, however, had it not been that Mr. Johnson was, in a manner of speaking, in dishabille, having left his gun at the hotel. Even so, he improvised several new lines and some effective stage business before he was overpowered by numbers and weight. The brothers Poole were regarded with much disfavor by Undersheriff Barton, who made the arrest; but their appearance bore out their story. It was plain that some one had battered them. Mr. Johnson quite won the undersheriff's esteem by his seemly bearing after the arrest. He accepted the situation with extreme composure, exhibiting small rancor toward his accusers, refraining from counter-comment to their heated descriptive analysis of himself; he troubled himself to make no denials. "I'll tell my yarn to the judge," he said, and walked to jail with his captors in friendliest fashion. These circumstances, coupled with the deputy's experienced dislike for the complaining witnesses and a well-grounded unofficial joy at their battered state, won favor for the prisoner. The second floor of the jail was crowded with a noisy and noisome crew. Johnson was taken to the third floor, untenanted save
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   >>  



Top keywords:

Johnson

 

business

 

Vesper

 

battered

 

accused

 
arrest
 

evidence

 

unsuspecting

 

failed

 
regarded

disfavor

 
passed
 

ladies

 

pouncing

 

Bridge

 

brothers

 

Undersheriff

 

Barton

 

weight

 

improvised


appearance

 

manner

 

dishabille

 

speaking

 

overpowered

 

numbers

 

effective

 

errand

 

deputy

 

coupled


experienced

 
dislike
 

witnesses

 

complaining

 

circumstances

 
walked
 

captors

 

friendliest

 

fashion

 

grounded


unofficial

 

noisome

 

untenanted

 

crowded

 

prisoner

 

extreme

 
situation
 

composure

 

exhibiting

 

rancor