"I seen the fence around the jail yard where they"re goin" to hang him; I went over on purpose yesterday with one of the neighbors and took Arthur; I thought it would be improvin", but he"d seen it before. There ain"t much he don"t see--for all I can do he just runs the streets."
Joe"s resolution had been formed while she was speaking, and now he s.n.a.t.c.hed his ragged cap from the floor.
"You stay right here till I get back!" he said gruffly.
It was not his habit to discuss affairs of any moment with Mrs.
Montgomery, since in a general way he doubted the clearness of the feminine judgment, and in the present instance he had no intention of taking her into his confidence. The great problem by which he was confronted he would settle in his own fashion.
"You ain"t in any trouble, Joe?" and Nellie"s eyes widened with the birth of sudden fear.
The handy-man was standing by the door, and she went to his side.
"Me? No, I guess not; but I got an everlastin" dose of it for the other fellow!" and he reached for the k.n.o.b.
"Was it what I said about the police wantin" you?" his wife asked timidly.
She knew that his dealings with the police had never been of an especially fortunate nature. He shook off the hand she had placed on his arm.
"You keep your mouth shut till I get back!" he said, and pushing open the door, pa.s.sed out.
The night had cleared since he crossed the bridge, and from the great blue arch of heaven the new moon gave her radiance to a sleeping world.
But Montgomery was aware only of his purpose as he slouched along the path toward the railroad track. The horror of North"s fate had fixed his determination, nothing of terror or fear that he had ever known was comparable to the emotion he was experiencing now. He did not even speculate on the consequences to himself of the act he had decided on.
They said that he had hanged John North--he got the credit for that--well, John North wasn"t hanged yet! He tossed his arms aloft. "My G.o.d, I didn"t mean to do that!" he muttered.
He had gained the railroad tracks and was running toward the bridge, the very seconds seemed of infinite value to him, for suppose he should have difficulty in finding Moxlow? And if he found the prosecuting attorney, would he believe his story? A shudder pa.s.sed through him. He was quite near the bridge when suddenly he paused and a whispered curse slipped from between his parted lips. A man was standing at the entrance to the bridge and though it was impossible to distinguish more than the shadowy outline of his figure, Montgomery was certain that it was Marshall Langham. His first impulse was to turn back and go into town by the wagon road and the wooden bridge, but as he hesitated the figure came toward him, and Langham spoke.
"Is that you, Joe?" he asked.
"d.a.m.n him, he knows I won"t stand for hangin" North!" the handy-man told himself under his breath. He added aloud as he shuffled forward, "Yes, it"s me, boss!"
"Couldn"t you make it right with Nellie?" asked Langham.
"Oh, it isn"t that--the old woman"s all right--but the baby"s sick and I"m out huntin" a doctor."
He did not expect Langham to believe him, but on the spur of the moment he could think of nothing better.
"I am sorry to hear that!" said Langham.
An evil wolfish light stole into his eyes and the lines of his weak debauched face hardened.
"What"s the matter with you, boss; couldn"t you get across?" asked Joe.
"No, the bridge is too much for me. Like a fool I stopped here to smoke a cigar after you left me; I hoped it would clear off a bit so I could see the ties, but it"s worse now that I can. I had about made up my mind to come and get you to help me back into town."
"Come along, boss, I"m in a terrible hurry!" said Joe eagerly.
But Langham was a pace or two in advance of him when they stepped out on the bridge. Never once did he glance in the handy-man"s direction.
Had he done so, Montgomery must have been aware that his face showed bloodless in the moonlight, while his sunken eyes blazed with an unaccustomed fire.
"I can"t walk these ties, Joe--give me your hand--" he managed to say.
Joe did as he desired, and as the lawyer"s slim fingers closed about his great fist he was conscious that a cold moisture covered them. He could only think of a dead man"s hand.
"What"s wrong with the baby, Joe?" Langham asked.
"Seems like it"s got a croup," said Joe promptly.
"That"s too bad--"
"Yes, it"s a h.e.l.l of a pity," agreed Montgomery.
He was furtively watching Langham out of the corners of his beady blue eyes; his inner sense of things told him it was well to do this. They took half a dozen steps and Langham released Joe"s hand.
"I wonder if I can manage this alone!" he said. But apparently the attempt was a failure, for he quickly rested his hand on his companion"s ma.s.sive shoulder.
They had reached the second of the bridge"s three spans. Below them in the darkness the yellow flood poured in noisy volume. As Langham knew, here the stream was at its deepest and its current the swiftest. He knew also that his chance had come; but he dared not make use of it. The breath whistled from his lips and the moisture came from every pore. He sought frantically to nerve himself for the supreme moment; but suppose he slipped, or suppose Joe became aware of his purpose one second too soon!
"Keep over a bit, boss!" said the handy-man suddenly. "You are crowding me off the bridge!"
"Oh, all right; is that better?"
And Langham moved a step aside.
"A whole lot," responded Joe gruffly. But his little blue eyes, alert with cunning, were never withdrawn from the lawyer for an instant.
They walked forward in silence for a moment or two, and were approaching the end of the center span, when the lawyer glanced about him wildly; he realized that he was letting slip his one great opportunity. Again Joe spoke:
"Keep over, boss!" And then all in the same breath, "What the h.e.l.l are you up to, anyway?"
It must be now or it would be never; and Langham, turning swiftly, hurled himself on his companion, and his slim fingers with their death-like chill gripped Joe"s hairy throat. In the suddenness of the attack he was forced toward the edge of the bridge. The rush of the noisy waters sounded with fearful distinctness in his ears.
"Here, d.a.m.n you, let go!" panted Montgomery.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "Here, let go!" panted Montgomery.]
He felt Langham"s hot breath on his cheek, he read murder by the wolfish light in his eyes. He wrenched himself free of the other"s desperate clutch, but as he did so his foot caught against one of the rails and he slipped and fell to his knees. In the intervals of his own labored breathing, he heard the flow of the river, a dull ceaseless roar, and saw the flashing silver of the moon"s rays as they touched the water"s turgid surface. Langham no longer sought to force him from the bridge, but bent every effort to thrust him down between the ties to a swift and certain death.
"You want to kill me, too!" panted Montgomery, as by a mighty effort that brought the veins on neck and forehead to the point of bursting, he regained his footing on the ties.
But his antagonist was grimly silent, and Joe, roused to action by fear, and by a sullen rage at what he deemed the lawyer"s perfidy, turned and grappled with him. Once he smashed his great fist full into Langham"s face, and though the blow sent the lawyer staggering across the bridge, he recovered himself quickly and rushed back to renew the fight.
Montgomery greeted him with an oath, and they grappled again.
Langham had known in his calmer moments when he planned Joe"s death, that his only hope of success lay in the suddenness of his attack. Now as they swayed on the very edge of the bridge the handy-man put forth all his strength and lifted the lawyer clear of the ties, then with a mighty heave of his great shoulders he tossed him out into s.p.a.ce.
There was a scarcely audible splash and Joe, looking fearfully down, saw the muddy drops turn limpid in the soft white light. A moment later some dark object came to the surface and a white face seemed to look up into his, but only for a second, and then the restless flood bore it swiftly away.