Wtsifi'y'y Vjpy "&!? &&&&!
"Come with me," answered the
He rushed him along the passage
and through his house into the little
garage where his car was waiting.
He pushed the negro inside.
"Crouch down and not a sound!"
He went back into the hquse,
where hiB little girl was still playing.
"It's time for you to go to bed,
Dorothy," he said.
The little girl began to put her
"Never mind. I'll do that tonight,"
Outside the crowd was waiting.
Their leader, watch in hand, counted
the half-minutes. The time seemed
ta pass with incredible slowness At
last the five minutes were up. The
"Come along, sheriff!" shouted
thjeir leader again.
There was no answer. He ham
mered upon the door. "Time's up!"
And, as no reply came, he began
battering at the panels. The mob,
suspicious of trickery, brought for
ward the plank with which they had
smashed, down, the outer doors.
"Watch the "back!" yelled their
leader as the sudden sound of a
cranking engine reached their ears.
A concerted rush to the back doors
was made. But before the mob
reached them they swung wide open.
There was a moment's pause and out
sped the sheriff's machine, in it the
sheriff and the grotesgtfeform of the
So sudden was this maneuver that
the mob was taken aback. The rush
of the automobile scattered them;
shots were fired, but in the darkness
they went wide. The machine gath
ered momentum and-sped down the
"For a moment or two Sheriff Ar
temus breathed freely. Tb.en the
cries which had grown faint became
back he saw the headlights of dis-1
tan cars pursuing him. So the mob
had come in automobiles! Everything
seemed to have been foreseen.
He let out his machine to the full.
He believed he could outdistance his
pursuers. He heard faintly the crack
of revolvers behind him, but the bul
lets did not reach him. He was dis
tancing them. At the bend of the
road, five miles from the prison, he
saw only tiny, distant flashes of light,
indicating the presence of the pur
He slowed down until he saw their
lights swiftly approaching, and, with
a roar and a rattle of his engine, he
Yells of triumph pursued him. The
bullets clove the air about him. He
put on speed. The distance remained
about the same. Then slowly he be
gan to draw ahead of them.
He led them a dance that night
that was never forgotten. Mile after
mile was reeled off, until the gasoline
began to fall. Three' counties were
crossed. Still the sheriff sped on and
the mirauers.. trailing off, began to
Jose hope. Then the sheriff would
slow down and wait for them.
They caught him at dawn. Only
one car had followed him, but in it
were the leader of the lynching party
and three of the most determined.
By the faint light they Baw the sher
iff and their victim,
"Surrender!" they yelled, and the
sheriff held up his hands.
A rope was brought out andr
looped, flung around the throat of
the grotesque figure in the car. One
end was fastened to a limb of a water
oak. Amid, a chorus of yells the flg
'ure, jerked from its place at the sher
iff's side, swung swiftly aloft The
revolvers were emptied into it
Sheriff Artemus suddenly pulled a
revolver1 with either hand and cov
ered the little group of four
The leader turned to him with a
"Say, what's the game, sheriff?"
he asked. "If s over now." '
"Get into your car and drive" slowjyx
.'. , "14t i-A-A AA-XtA
xml | txt