The best short stories of 1920, and the yearbook of the American short story
General
The best short stories of 1920, and the yearbook of the American short story
American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories -- 20th century -- Bibliography; Short stories -- 20th century -- Indexes; Short stories, American
Dick Roamer spoke hesitatingly, "Mebbe the old woman's right, Munn.
Mebbe those tracks are Brenner's."
Mrs. Brenner turned to him in wild gratitude.
"You believe me, don't you?" she cried. The tears dribbled down her
face. She saw the balance turning on a hair. A moment more and it might
swing back. She turned and hobbled swiftly to the shelf. Proof! More
proof! She must bring more proof of Tobey's innocence!
She snatched up his box of butterflies and came back to Munn.
"This is what Tobey was doin' this afternoon!" she cried in triumph. "He
was catchin' butterflies! That ain't murder, is it?"
"Nobody catches butterflies in a fog," said Munn.
"Well, Tobey did. Here they are." Mrs. Brenner held out the box. Munn
took it from her shaking hand. He looked at it. After a moment he turned
it over. His eyes narrowed. Mrs. Brenner turned sick. The room went
swimming around before her in a bluish haze. She had forgotten the blood
on her hand that she had wiped off before Mart came home. Suppose the
blood had been on the box.
The sheriff opened the box. A bruised butterfly, big, golden, fluttered
up out of it. Very quietly the sheriff closed the box, and turned to
Mrs. Brenner.
"Call your son," he said.
"What do you want of him? Tobey ain't done nothing. What you tryin' to
do to him?"
"There is blood on this box, Mrs. Brenner."
"Mebbe he cut himself." Mrs. Brenner was fighting. Her face was chalky
white.
"In the box, Mrs. Brenner, _is a gold watch and chain_. The man who was
killed, Mrs. Brenner, had a piece of gold chain to match this in his
buttonhole. _The rest of it had been torn off._"
Olga made no sound. Her burning eyes turned toward Mart. In them was all
of a heart's anguish and despair.
"Tell 'em, Mart! Tell 'em he didn't do it!" she finally pleaded.
Mart's face was inscrutable.
Munn rose. The other men got to their feet.
"Will you get the boy or shall I?" the sheriff said directly to Mrs.
Brenner.
With a rush Mrs. Brenner was on her knees before Munn, clutching him
about the legs with twining arms. Tears of agony dripped over her seamed
face.
"He didn't do it! Don't take him! He's my baby! He never harmed anybody!
He's my baby!" Then with a shriek, as Munn unclasped her arms, "Oh, my
God! My God!"
Munn helped her to her feet. "Now, now, Mrs. Brenner, don't take on so,"
he said awkwardly. "There ain't going to be no harm come to your boy.
It's to keep him from getting into harm that I'm taking him. The village
is a mite worked up over this murder and they might get kind of upset if
they thought Tobey was still loose. Better go and get him, Mrs.
Brenner."
As she stood unheeding, he went on, "Now, don't be afraid. Nothing'll
happen to him. No jedge would sentence him like a regular criminal. The
most that'll happen will be to put him some safe place where he can't do
himself nor no one else any more harm."
But still Mrs. Brenner's set expression did not change.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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