OCR Text |
Show 242 RICHARD HURDlS. CHAPTER XXXV. DESPERATE MEASURES. --"It mus~ be done: . ly scn~>on in del•'Y• There i~ n~ tn:l~ .11 , 1 mu!'-t. lnkll the sword, ,. Whenltfe IS "n1ll g. Would ft were not sol . Though my !lO\ll tremble!. Con~ptrafor. . The emissary did not seem wil- T HE conference was ove;· ' ·c absolutely necessary. lie ling to waste more_ wmds t lan ~~:·dis, to whom the conference of busmess. But 1" was a man l disposed to mger. '1 lmd been so terrible,_ IC :vas B n Pickett, before you go," snt~ " I must speak With ) ou, e'l'hc emissary hcnrcl the wor~s, lte hoarsely to his ~ollengue.d'd o with a good-humored stmle and went aside, saym~ as h:t:na~~c-of indifference upon }liS co~l t I should hear, though you kno'~ "What ! you would not _u', You will grow wiser one a.ay." we are now of the same fm~~1) · .. a small matter - a. -mere tnflc, "It's nothing," said llur IS, ' £e of the lie. and his tones faltered it;, th? uttera::issary, " I do not care to " I t's of no account, said the t 1 put aside the bushes k it·" nnd whistling as he wen' ;e h's W'IY toward the ;~I~:~~ s~rronnded the group, rmd mate I < road. ' ·a llm·dis when the etm. ss:ny l l·•.t d g·ont koiultl "Ben P ickett,' sat l'. d ·eadful bondage; It WI of 1Jearing, "I can no~ be;: ~~:,: break from it; we m~st ~1~: me if I suffer It a wee . 1 . . I can not stoop to o an end to it in some. way ~r:tot. lCI.- these grand rascals- at; ilirty business of tllls con ?c ei acy d ·el or any one of the yael ' what is our security 1 Tlns scoun di a'ft~r toiling deeper m t lC may expose us a t any momenft , ' ta n t •t he car t's tnt.1. It is not to mll·e, we shall be taken out o 1 a DE.~WEJL\.TJ.~ MIU.SUHES. 243 be thougl1t on-! can not Lear it. Spe:1k to me. Say, what are we to do ?" "\r ell, 't>quirc, I can't say; it's for you to speak. You know beot." "Xonsense, Ben P ickett! tllis· is no time for id le complirncnte;. lt is you who should k110w best. You are better taught in the tricks of these scoundrels than I am, and can giYe better <:otmsC'I of what we arc to do. Something must be done. Is there no easier way to get rid of th is fellow than by-- you know what 1 1ncan·? 1 would not that either of us should do any mote of that business." "1 reckon not, 'squire. There's only one way to stop a ·wagg: ng tongue, that I know of; and if you're willing to lend a hand, why, tltc sooner it's done the better. T he chap stands by the end of the broken fence-" The constitutional t imidity of J ohn Hurclis a rrested the sug. gestion ere it was fully SJlOkcn. "That's too great a risk, Den; besides, we Lave not come Jlrcparcd." " I don't know, 'squire : I 've got a k nife tl1at's sharp enough, and 1 reckon you've got your pistols. trrwould be easy enough as we walk along beside him. The night's c1ear enough to let you take good sight upon him- '' "But should the pistol miss fire, Ben- " u ' Vhy, then, my knife," was the prompt reply . u I t might do, Bcu, if he were not armed also. But you re. member he told us tl1nt he was, and it is but r easonable to think that he must be, coming on such a business as t his. He must 11ot only be armed, but well armed. No, no-it wiU not do j ust now; and there's another objection to our doing it Lore: it's too nigh home. Let him leave us first, Ben, ancl it's safest in every respect to g ive him long shot for his }Jassport. 'rhat's our plan, Bcn.-I see no other." "Just as you say, 'squire-j ust as you say; but, to tell you the trutl.1, I'm. almost of the not ion that it's best to come toc.to-toe, at t ile jump: take it now, in the starlight, and have it over. It's a monstrous cold business, now, tbat watchiJ1g behind a Lush with your rifle, till your enemy comes in sight i it's a cold business." |