He stepped down into the street, sheathing his pistol. He heard Corrigan's
voice, calling after him, saying:
"Grand-stand play again!"
Trevison turned; the gaze of the two men met, held, their hatred glowing
bitter in their eyes; the gaze broke, like two sharp blades rasping apart,
and Corrigan turned to his deputies, scowling; while Trevison pushed his
way through the crowd.
Five minutes later, while Corrigan was talking with the deputies and
Braman in the rear room of the bank building, Trevison was standing in the
courthouse talking with Judge Lindman. The Judge stared out into the
street at some members of the crowd that still lingered.
"This town will be a volcano of lawlessness if it doesn't get a square
deal from you, Lindman," said Trevison. "You have seen what a mob looks
like. You're the representative of justice here, and if we don't get
justice we'll come and hang you in spite of a thousand deputies! Remember
that!"
He stalked out, leaving behind him a white-faced, trembling old man who
was facing a crisis which made the future look very black and dismal. He
was wondering if, after all, hanging wouldn't be better than the sunlight
shining on a deed which each day he regretted more than on the preceding
day. And Trevison, riding Nigger out of town, was estimating the probable
effect of his crowd-drawing action upon Judge Lindman, and considering
bitterly the perfidy of the woman who had cleverly drawn him on, to betray
him.
CHAPTER XIII
ANOTHER LETTER
That afternoon, Corrigan rode to the Bar B. The ranchhouse was of the
better class, big, imposing, well-kept, with a wide, roofed porch running
across the front and partly around both sides. It stood in a grove of
fir-balsam and cottonwood, on a slight eminence, and could be seen for
miles from the undulating trail that led to Manti. Corrigan arrived
shortly after noon, to find Rosalind gone, for a ride, Agatha told him,
after she had greeted him at the edge of the porch.
Agatha had not been pleased over Rosalind's rides with Trevison as a
companion. She was loyal to her brother, and she did not admire the bold
recklessness that shone so frankly and unmistakably in Trevison's eyes.
Had she been Rosalind she would have preferred the big, sleek,
well-groomed man of affairs who had called today. And because of her
preference for Corrigan, she sat long on the porch with him and told him
many things--things that darkened the big man's face. And when, as they
were talking, Rosalind came, Agatha discreetly retired, leaving the two
alone.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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