ond the
jail itself, to a sort of open space not yet encroached upon by public
or private buildings.

There was no shouting, no loud talking. The light was dim. The crowd
itself moved vaguely, milling about, like cattle restive and ready to
stampede, but not yet determined on their course.

"God! Did you hear that music this afternoon--they're done a-buryin'
poor old Joel Tarbush by now, but I can hear it yet, seems to me! Now,
what had poor old Joel ever done--all his life--to deserve bein'
murdered like a dog? It makes my blood sort of rise up to think of that.
Now, them that done that--them that was back of that----"

His friend, accosted, nodded grimly, his mouth was shut tight and turned
down deep at the corners.

There did not lack one or two willing at least to talk further. One was
a young man, rather well dressed, apparently fresh from church. He spoke
to any who would listen.

"What I mean to say, men, is this," said he, "we've got to do something
to clean up this town. It's the _people_ that's behind the law anyhow.
Am I right?"

"He talks like a lawyer--what he says is pretty true," said one farmer
to another.

"That was a strong sermon our minister preached tonight," said yet
another. "He said we'd have to stamp out crime and make a warnin'. The
preacher e'en--a'most pointed out what we ought to do."

"... We'd ought to make a clean sweep of this whole family," said the
same young man, more boldly now. "They're a bad lot--both her son and
her."

"... We could break into the jail easy," said someone, after a time.
"Cowles couldn't keep us from it. Maybe he wouldn't want to."

"... The trouble is," resumed the voice of the young man who had earlier
spoken, "it's hard to make a law case stick. We've seen how that worked
out in the trial yesterday--he came clear--they dropped the case, and
nothing was done. Old Eph Adamson had to take all the medicine. But we
ought to take our place as a law-abiding community--I've always said
that."

"And God-fearin'," said a devout voice.

"Yes, a God-fearing community! It's been twenty years now that that
woman has flaunted her vice in the face of this community."

"Ain't a man in this town that don't know about her--it's just sort o'
quieted down, that's all," said a gray-bearded, peak-chinned man grimly;
which was more or less true, as more than one man present knew, himself
not guiltless enough of heart at least to cast the first stone at Aurora
Lane.