“See here, men, this sort of thing doesn’t go in a civilized community,” he said. “You’d better stop feeling and do some thinking.”
The quiet voice was as cheerfully conversational as though the stage had not been set for melodrama; and the lean, nonchalant intruder to whom the night had suddenly given birth stood with his hands in his pockets and a half smile on his lips; but there was a look in his eyes that made the men nearest him glance apprehensively at the pockets and back away. Some of them pulled their hats low over their eyes. One or two wheeled their horses around, as though for flight; but Lem Tollerton was made of sterner stuff.
“You’ll get along better if you’ll take your own advice and do some thinking yourself,” he blustered. “We don’t want to do you any harm, Mr. Archibald, but this is our affair; and, if you don’t want to get hurt, you’d better not mix up in it. We’re out to give this d—d fire-bug a dressing down that he’ll remember and see him across the state line, and we’re going to do it.”
“What has he done?” Archibald asked, still cool, though his fighting blood was warming.
“Done? You know well enough what he’s done.”
“Where’s your proof?”
“Proof be damned. Get out of my way.”
Tollerton raised his whip as though to enforce his command and Archibald’s right hand came swiftly out of his pocket. There was no revolver in it; but as his clenched fist hit Lem Tollerton’s chin, that hulking worthy dropped as though he had been shot and lay still in the path. Archibald stooped, caught the whip from his hand, and backed against the cottage wall, while Wiggles, a ridge of upstanding hair along his back, his lips curled back angrily from his sharp white teeth, a low ominous growl sounding in his throat, crouched at his master’s feet. Archibald had forgotten Wiggles when he had figured that he would be one against twelve.
“Don’t be fools, boys,” the man against the wall pleaded. “I’ll promise to get Ezra out of the State for good, to-night. Maybe he’s guilty. Maybe he isn’t—but twelve to one isn’t a man’s game, any way you look at it. You’ll be glad you called it off, when morning comes.”
The men wavered uncertainly. Several of them made a threatening move forward. Archibald clutched the whip in the middle, with its heavy butt ready for action.