The Law of the Land

se who awaited his coming. He was a tall man, broad-shouldered, lean and muscular; yet so far from being thin and dark, he was spare rather from physical exercise than through gaunt habit of bo

dal baron ever dismounted with more assuredness at his own hall, to toss careless rein to a retainer. He stood now, tall and straight, a trifle rough-lo

was neat to the verge of foppishness, nor did it seem much disordered by the hardships of the chase. Upon his clean-cut face there sat a certain arrogance, as of one at least desirous of having his own way in his own sphere. Not an ill-looking man, upon the whole, was Henry Decherd, though his reddish-yellow eyes, a bit oblique in their setting, gave the impression alike of a certain touchiness of temper and an unpleasantly fox-like qualit

pastime for them. Of half a hundred hounds which had started, not two-thirds were back again, and many of these would be unfit for days for the resumption of their savage trade. None the less, as the master sounded again, loud and clear, the cal

rom his hiding-place, "take them out to the yard and fix them up. Now, b

found time to look about him, but now, as the conclave scattered, he found himself alone, and

l Blount, I pre

re, but I didn't know you were there. Come right on

John Eddring. I am just down on

"It seems to me I ought to know your family. Over round Hillsboro, aren't you? Tell

an uncle

er's friend. They slept and fought and ate together for

d; John Eddring, my father,

y. Well, it's all over now. Come on in. I'm mighty glad to see you." Yet the two, without plan, had now

d the visitor, "I reckon yo

end for ten miles; put him across the river twice, and all around the Black Bayou, but the dogs kept h

?" asked Eddring-a questio

a mile back of where they killed him. Somehow I must have missed. A little while later I heard another shot, and found that young gentleman there, Mr. Decherd, had beat

in a while, when

out having a good hunt. You just wait a

aid I can't stay. You see, I am d

et business interfere with a b'ah hun

road man can't always

thing else. Now, I helped get that railroad through this country-if it hadn't been for me, they never could have laid a

I haven'

here to this gentleman and me-Say, do you know what that railroad did? Why, it just killed the best filly on my

es you of the river market and it gives you a double chance to get out your cotton. You don't have to haul your cotton twelv

that's all right. But t

iting a splinter between his teeth. "It does look as if we had killed

railroad?" asked

o admit that I am," s

e tell you, you change your road. Say, there was a man down below

ot of white folks, made a bee-line straight for our right-of-way. Why, sir, it was a solid line of cows and niggers fro

d? Why, he paid a man down below here two stations-what do you think he

en dol

ifteen

p of money for a heife

ou

y, no. Heap of money

ive that heifer twenty-five miles before you could get a market, and then she wouldn't

re the other day. Neighbors of mine. I reckon that claim agent wouldn't w

be n

by these steam cars-looks like the niggers get fascinated by them cars. But here's Bill coming a

like that, and let it lie in the ice-box all the time, and when you take it out, it's sort of got a white frost all over it. Now, my old daddy, he would take this mug and put some fine ice into it,-not too fine. Then he'd take a little cut loaf

? Say, he didn't smash

erly, hitching over

elease a little of the flavor, you know. You don't want to be rough with mint. Just twist it gently between the thumb and finger. Then yo

ely rising and taking off his ha

courtesy, arose and

ays make them with any sugar on top of the mint. But, you know, just a circle of mint-not crushed-not crushed, mind you-just a green ring of fragrance,

s face. "A gentleman?" said he, smiling slightly. "Well, don't shake hands with m

g, devoted to that sacred purpose, sir, that would be your certificate of character here. Forget your business. Com

g, "there may be two wa

id Blount, "and that's down the mint. Now, I'll show y

ith his interrupted proposition; "now here was that nigger that lost his wife. Of course he had a whole

ll,

what do y

on about fif

pon the board until the glasses jingled. "That's just wh

ese niggers at best. Now, here's a man lost his wife decent and respectable, and there's nothing on earth a nigger likes better than a good funeral, even if it has to be his own wife. Now, how many nigger funerals are there that cost fifteen dollars? I'll bet you if that ni

d his head. "You unders

"But, now, supposing i

upposing

e same thing happened to a white family

that accident

, damn me, if that infernal claim agent didn't ha

fifteen dollar limit all the

y does. It a

will never have a chance to meet anything like that. Of course, I know she was killed. Her husband just hated her before she died, but blame me, just as soon as she was dead, he loved her more than if she was his sweetheart all over again. Now, that's how it goes. Say, I w

, "that you would say that abou

ears old and on her last legs. Road kills her, and all a

on if that damned claim agent was to come here, he would ju

ountry. We give you a market and we put two cents a pound on top of your cotton price. We fix it so that you can market your cotton at five dollars a bale cheaper than you used to. We doub

y back. You can't get Himyah blood every day in the week. That fi

and paid several hundred more. You would have bet a couple of thousand, anyway, as a matter of principle, and, like enough, you'd have lost it. Now, if this road paid you fifteen

on the board-pile and swung a long leg across so that he sat directly facing his enigmatical guest. The latter, in the

ount. "I might take fifty, for the sake of the road; but fifteen-why, you see, it's not the money; I

hat woul

sir, if I saw t

agent; and I do offer you fifteen

t! Y

s,

en dol

, fifteen

dden song-"On Jor-dan's strand

orth," interrupte

to tell me," said he, in forced cal

's the way I make my l

me fifteen dollars

id fi

said

on't g

ising at the temerity of this, the only man who in many a year had dared to

he claim agent, "and I've come here r

"Why, it's fifteen dollars,

said fi

m its holster. Eddring gazed into the round aperture of the muzzle and certain surrounding apertures of the cylinder. "Write me a check," said Blount, slowly, "and

on his knee, now suddenly drawn up. Bo

Eddring returned a gaze as direct as that which he received. The florid face back of the barrel he

s two? If you are so blamed particular, and really want a check for fifty, why, here it is." He busied himself a moment, and passed over a strip of paper. Even as he did so, t

ing," he bega

our check, and you've got the railroa

"My friend-why, sir,

ith your j

serve me right. I am forgetting my duties

mned first," sai

, just like your daddy and your uncle, sure as you're born! Why, sir, come on in. You

ertain smoldering fire, long with difficult

" and then of a sudden his wrath arose still higher. His own hand made a swift motion. "Give me back that check," he said, and

G GAZED INTO THE ROUND

ered Colonel Calvin Blount to hims

ng; and the other, astounded, h

l this and come into my house. I'm mighty sorry. I don't want the money. You know that.

dring. "This was business,

ness!" sa

business man and a gentleman. It does not always come to just that, but you. see, a man has to d

ou know is right. My friend, I won't ask you in again, not any more, right now. But when you can, com

to speech. With a straight look into Colonel Blount's eyes, he turned away, a

t rush of light feet on the gallery, nor turn until Miss Lady stood before him. The girl swept him a

bell, would he be good enough to tell whether or not he will come

pon his face. "Oh, it's you, Miss Lady, is it?" said he.

I called to you several times. Who is that gentleman yo

ays he's the cow coroner on the Y. V. road, but I want to tell you, he's the finest fellow, and the nearest to a gentleman, that ever struck this country. That's what he is. I'm mighty troubled over his going away,