“Thar's another thing you-uns don't seem to have calculated on,” said Baker, as Blackburn was leading them down to the dry-goods counter. “It may take time to quiet public excitement, even if we put this thing through to-night. You propose to let the impression go out that thar was a lynchin'. How will you keep 'em from thinkin' it's a fake unless they see some'n' hangin' to a tree-limb in the mornin'? If they thought we'd put up a job on 'em, they would nose around till they was onto the whole business, an' then thar would be the devil to pay.”
“You are right about that,” said Garner. “If we could convince the big mob that Pete has been lynched in some secret way or place, by some other party, who don't want to be known in the matter, the excitement would die down in a day or so.”
“A bang-up good idea!” was Pole's ultimatum. “Leave it to me and I'll study up some way to put it to Burt—by gum! How about tellin' 'im that, for reasons of our own, we intend to hide the body whar the niggers can't git at it to give it decent burial? I really believe that would go down.”
“Splendid, splendid!” said Garner. “Work that fine enough, Pole, and it will give us more time for everything.”
“Well, I can work it all right if I am to do the talkin',” Pole said, as he reached out for his portion of the sheeting.
CHAPTER XXVI.
