You know we're straggled so
out here that a horse means something more than so much a head. Why
did you do this? Your actions don't seem to hang together."
The poor cuss changed face for the first time. He swallered hard and
turned to his accuser. "Hope your lady didn't come to no harm?" says
he.
"Why, no thankee; she didn't," says the other lad. "'Bliged to you for
inquirin'."
There was a stir in the rest of the crowd. The prisoner had done good
work for himself without knowing it. That question of his proved what
I thought--he was no bad man. Something peculiar in the case.
Swinging an eye on the crowd, I saw I could act. I went forward and
laid my hand on his shoulder, speaking kind and easy.
"Here," says I, "you've done a fool trick, and riled the boys
considerable. You'd been mad, too, if somebody'd made you ride all
day. But now you tell us just what happened. If it was intended to be
comical, we'll kick your pants into one long ache, and let it go at
that; if it was anything else, spit it out."
He stood there, fumblin' with his hands, runnin' the back of one over
his forehead once in a while, tryin' to talk, but unable. You could
see it stick in his throat.
"Take time," says I; "there's lots of it both sides of us."
Then he braced.
"Boys," says he, "I got a wife an' two little roosters too. I feel
sorry for the trouble I made that gentleman.
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