"And I suppose the duty could not have been a very pleasant one," said
Mrs. Hale, timidly, without looking at her husband.
"Gad, madam, that's just it," said the gallant Colonel, seating himself
with a comfortable air, and an easy, though by no means disrespectful,
familiarity. "We went into this fight a little more than a week ago. The
only scrimmage we've had has been with the detectives that were on the
robbers' track. Ha! ha! The best people we've met have been the friends
of the men we were huntin', and we've generally come to the conclusion
to vote the other ticket! Ez Judge Hale and me agreed ez we came along,
the two men ez we'd most like to see just now and shake hands with are
George Lee and Ned Falkner."
"The two leaders of the party who robbed the coach," explained Mr. Hale,
with a slight return of his usual precision of statement.
The three women looked at each other with a blaze of thanksgiving in
their grateful eyes. Without comprehending all that Colonel Clinch had
said, they understood enough to know that their late guests were safe
from the pursuit of that party, and that their own conduct was spared
criticism. I hardly dare write it, but they instantly assumed the
appearance of aggrieved martyrs, and felt as if they were!
"Yes, ladies!" continued the Colonel, inspired by the bright eyes fixed
upon him. "We haven't taken the road ourselves yet, but--pohn honor--we
wouldn't mind doing it in a case like this." Then with the fluent, but
somewhat exaggerated, phraseology of a man trained to "stump" speaking,
he gave an account of the robbery and his own connection with it. He
spoke of the swindling and treachery which had undoubtedly provoked
Falkner to obtain restitution of his property by an overt act of
violence under the leadership of Lee. He added that he had learned since
at Wild Cat Station that Harkins had fled the country, that a suit had
been commenced by the Excelsior Ditch Company, and that all available
property of Harkins had been seized by the sheriff.
"Of course it can't be proved yet, but there's no doubt in my mind that
|