.

"Well, uh--well, Martin, that's pretty hard to say, considering you
murdered one of my race, you know."

[Illustration: "'I have tellerphoned 'round the world and there ain't no
justice nowhere fur a black man. We'll fight it out right
here.'"
(184-185)]

"Ring off," said Martin.

Gus now called up the Governor's office.

"Governor, this is Gus Martin. Will you perteck my life if I surrender
to this heah sheriff? I am 'cused uv killin' a white preacher."

"I can do nothing unless called upon by the sheriff of your county,"
said the Governor, and put up the telephone receiver.

The Seabright residence had 'long distance' telephone connections and
Gus called up the White House at Washington. He stated his case and the
secretary to the President replied:

"We are powerless to act. The most that we can at present do is to
create a healthy public sentiment against lynching."

"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Gus through the telephone. "Is that all you can
say to a man that risked his life fur your flag?"

Gus now called up the British legation to sound it on the question of
proposing intervention on the part of the leading nations of the world.
He was told that the problem was a domestic one and that foreign
countries could not intervene. Gus returned to his trumpet and said,

"I have tellerphoned 'round the world and there ain't no justice nowhere
fur a black man. We'll fight it out right here."

In the meantime five young men had formed an agreement that they would
make the dash to the building. They had figured that Gus could not
shoot all five before one of them could reach the lower door and be
sheltered from the fire. They made the dash, but Gus was quicker than
they fancied, and one by one they went down before his deadly aim. The
city was in a frenzy.

We must leave the scene of combat for a while in order to be prepared
for the dramatic turn events were about to take.

CHAPTER XXVII.

_Tiara Mystifies Us._

Tiara was sitting on the front porch of her home gazing pensively out
upon the blue hills that fringed the distant horizon.

On the day previous she had been able to pronounce the wounded Earl well
and he had gone forth solemnly pledged to no longer rebel against the
overwhelming desire of the Negro race to pursue steadily the policy of
moral suasion, as exemplified by Ensal.

That morning Eunice had taken her departure and