We had to encourage ’em a bit, one way or another; but we finally got out of ’em that they had poisoned the dog, and then cut a crack in the door till they could raise the bar. They said ’at Ty Jones hadn’t had no hand in plannin’ their trip; but had offered ’em a hundred apiece if they could put Olaf in the mood of wishin’ he had sold out peaceable.
“Well,” sez I, as soon as they were through, “shall we finish with ’em to-night, or give ’em till to-morrow to repent?”
“We shall of course deliver them to the proper officials to be tried by due process of law,” sez the Friar.
“What for?” sez I. “Ya never can tell how a trial will turn out; but we know ’at they have forfeited the right to live; so we’ll just give ’em what they’ve earned and save all fuss.”
“No good ever comes of men taking the law into their own hands,” sez the Friar firmly.
“How come, then, that you didn’t run an’ tell some justice o’ the peace, ’at these two snakes was actin’ disrespectful—instead of knockin’ ’em up again’ the logs?” sez I.
“I should have done so if I had had time,” sez the Friar with dignity.
“Well, you’re better trained ’n we are,” sez I; “but it still takes a little time for you to make your hands mind your self-control, after you’ve been het up. You can do it in ten minutes, say; but it takes us about a week, and by that time the’ won’t be any need for the law.”
“No,” sez the Friar, “I insist that we rely upon the law. We count ourselves as of the better element; and the most vicious conditions arise when the better element takes the law into its own hands. When a vicious man does illegal violence, it does not establish a precedent; but when the decent man does the same thing, it tears away forms of civilization which have taken centuries to construct.”
“That sounds like sense,” sez I; “and after this is all over, I don’t mind arguin’ it out with you; but right now, it would seem to me that if we went to law about this, it would be because we wanted to shoulder onto the law the responsibility of doin’ what we feel ought to be done, but which we haven’t the nerve to do ourselves.”