"Colonel," says Grimes, showing his knowledge that they are all standing solid behind him, "WE WILL!"
"Ah," says the colonel, his eyebrows going up, and his face lighting up like he is really beginning to enjoy himself and is glad he come, "indeed!"
"Yes," says Grimes, "WE WILL!"
"But not," says the colonel, "before we have talked the thing over a bit, I hope?"
"There's been too much talk here now," yells Buck Hightower, "talk, talk, till, by God, I'm sick of it! Where's that ROPE?"
"But, listen to him—listen to the colonel!" some one else sings out. And then they was another hullabaloo, some yelling "no!" And the colonel, very patient, rolls himself another smoke and lights it from the butt of the first one. But finally they quiets down enough so Will can put it to a vote. Which vote goes fur the colonel to speak.
"Boys," he begins very quiet, "I wouldn't lynch this man. In the first place it will look bad in the newspapers, and—"
"The newspapers be d—-d!" says some one.
"And in the second place," goes on the colonel, "it would be against the law, and—"
"The law be d——d!" says Buck Hightower.