eld out his hand quickly and grasped that of Parks as the door
opened to half a dozen men. They were evidently the ringleaders of
the crowd below. There was no hesitation or doubt in their manner;
the unswerving directness which always characterized those illegal
demonstrations lent it something of dignity. Nevertheless, Carpenter,
the spokesman, flushed slightly before Parks' white, determined face.

"Come, Parks, you know what we're after," he said bluntly. "We didn't
come here to parley. We knew YOUR sentiments and what YOU think is your
duty. We know what we consider OURS--and so do you. But we're here to
give you a chance, either as mayor, or, if you prefer it, as the oldest
citizen here, to take a hand in our business to-night. We're not ashamed
of what we're going to do, and we're willing to abide by it; so there's
no reason why we shouldn't speak aboveboard of it to you. We even invite
you to take part in our last 'call' tonight at the Hall."

"Go!" whispered Brace quickly, "YOU'LL GAIN TIME!"

Parks' face changed, and he turned to Carpenter. "Enough," he said
gravely. "I reserve what I have to say of these proceedings till I
join you there." He stopped, whispered a few words to Brace, and then
disappeared as the men descended the stairs, and, joining the crowd
on the pavement, proceeded silently towards the Town Hall. There was
nothing in the appearance of that decorous procession to indicate its
unlawful character or the recklessness with which it was charged.

There were thirty or forty men already seated in the Hall. The meeting
was brief and to the point. The gambling saloons were to be "cleaned
out" that night, the tables and appliances thrown into the street and
burnt, the doors closed, and the gamblers were to be conducted to the
outskirts of the town and forbidden to enter it again on pain of death.

"Does this yer refer to Jovita Mendez' saloon?" asked a voice.

To their surprise the voice was not Parks' but Shuttleworth's. It was
also a matter to be noted that he stood a little forward of the crowd,
and that there was a corresponding movement of a dozen or more men from
Fiddletown who apparently were part of the meeting.

The chairman (No. 10) said there was to be no exception, and certainly
not for the originator of disorder in Buckeye! He was surprised that the
question should be asked by No. 72, who was an old resident of Buckeye,
and who, with No. 73, had suffered from the character of that w