“How do you do, sir?” said the judge, halting before this solitary
individual whom he conjectured to be the 'landlord. The man nodded,
thrusting his thumbs into the armholes of his vest. “What's the name of
this bustling metropolis?” continued the judge, cocking his head on one
side.
As he spoke, Bruce Carrington appeared in the tavern door; pausing
there, he glanced curiously at the shabby wayfarers.
“This is Raleigh, in Shelby County, Tennessee, one of the states of the
Union of which, no doubt, you've heard rumor in your wanderings,” said
the landlord.
“Are you the voice from the tomb?” inquired the judge, in a tone of
playful sarcasm.
Carrington, amused, sauntered toward him.
“That's one for you, Mr. Pegloe!” he said.
“I am charmed to meet a gentleman whose spirit of appreciation shows his
familiarity with a literary allusion,” said the judge, bowing.
“We ain't so dead as we look,” said Pegloe. “Just you keep on to
Boggs' race-track, straight down the road, and you'll find that
out--everybody's there to the hoss-racing and shooting-match. I reckon
you've missed the hoss-racing, but you'll be in time for the shooting.
Why ain't you there, Mr. Carrington?”
“I'm going now, Mr. Pegloe,” answered Carrington, as he followed the
judge, who, with Mahaffy and the boy, had moved off.
“Better stop at Boggs'!” Pegloe called after them.
But the judge had already formed his decision.
Horse-racing and shooting-matches were suggestive of that progressive
spirit, the absence of which he had so much lamented at the jail raising
at Pleasantville--Memphis was their objective point, but Boggs' became
a side issue of importance. They had gained the edge of the village when
Carrington overtook them. He stepped to Hannibal's side.
“Here, let me carry that long rifle, son!” he said. Hannibal looked up
into his face, and yielded the piece without a word. Carrington balanced
it on his big, muscular palm. “I reckon it can shoot--these old guns are
hard to beat!” he observed.
“She's the clostest shooting rifle I ever sighted,” said Hannibal
promptly. “You had ought to see the judge shoot her--my! he never
misses!”
Carrington laughed.
“The clostest shooting rifle you ever sighted--eh?” he repeated. “Why,
aren't you afraid of it?”
“No,” said Hannibal scornfully. “But she kicks you some if you don't
hold her right.”
There was a rusty name-plate on the stock of the old sporting rifle;
this had caught Carrington's eye.
“What's the name here? Oh, Turberville.”
The judge, a step or two in advance, wheeled in his tracks with a
startling suddenness.
“What?” he faltered, and his face was ashen.
“Nothing, I was reading the name here; it is yours; sir, I suppose?”
said Carrington.
The color crept slowly back into the judge's cheeks, but a tremulous
hand stole up to his throat.
“No, sir--no; my name is Price--Slocum Price!
Turberville--Turberville--” he muttered thickly, staring stupidly at
Carrington.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account