At the Time AppointedBarbour, A. Maynard (Anna Maynard)
General
At the Time Appointed
Barbour, A. Maynard (Anna Maynard)
Detective and mystery stories
"If the leader of the band finds himself in need of help it will be
forthcoming," Mr. Britton answered, with peculiar emphasis. "The
citizens are expecting trouble and have sworn in about a dozen extra
deputy sheriffs, myself among the number."
When lunch was over Mr. Britton ordered a carriage at once, and they
proceeded to the court-room.
"What is your opinion of this man?" Darrell asked his father, while on
the way. "Would you have selected him as the murderer, from your study
of him?"
"I reserve my opinions until later," Mr. Britton replied. "I want you to
act from memory alone, unbiased by any outside influence."
Arriving at the court-room, they found it already well filled. Darrell
was about to enter, but his father took him into a small anteroom, while
he himself went to look for seats. He had a little difficulty in finding
the seats he wanted, which delayed them so that proceedings had begun as
he and Darrell entered from a side door and took their places in rather
an obscure part of the room.
"You will have a good view here," Mr. Britton said to Darrell, as they
seated themselves, "and there is little likelihood of your being
recognized from this point."
"There is little probability of the man's recognizing me, even if he is
here," Darrell replied, "for he did not give me a second thought that
night, and if he had, I am so changed he would not know me."
"We cannot be too cautious," his father answered.
In a few moments the prisoner was brought in, and there was a general
craning of necks to see him, a number of men in Darrell's vicinity
standing and thus obstructing his view.
"Wait," said his father, as he was about to rise with the others; "don't
make yourself conspicuous; when the man is called for examination you
will have an excellent view from here."
Curiosity gradually subsided, and the men sank back into their seats as
proceedings went on. Then the prisoner was called and stood up for
examination. Darrell drew a quick breath and leaned eagerly forward. The
man was of medium height and size, but his movements seemed heavy and
clumsy, whereas Darrell had been impressed by a litheness and agility in
the movements of the other.
He stood facing his interlocutor, affording Darrell a three-quarter view
of his face, but soon he turned in Darrell's direction, scanning the
crowd slowly, as though in search of some one.
Darrell saw a squarely built, colorless face, surmounted by a shock of
coarse, straight black hair, with heavy, repulsive features, and small,
bullet-shaped, leaden eyes of rather light blue. The face was so utterly
unlike what he had expected to see that he sank back into his seat with
a smothered exclamation of disgust. His father, watching closely,
smiled, seeming rather pleased than otherwise, but Darrell was half
indignant.
"The idea of a lout like that being taken for the leader!" he exclaimed.
"He is nothing but a tool, and a pretty clumsy one at that."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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