SHERIFF. How do you mean written on it?
BLANCO. The words were, "Ive got the cinch on you this time, Blanco Posnet." Yes, Sheriff, I saw those words in green on the red streak of the rainbow; and as I saw them I felt Strapper"s grab on my arm and Squinty"s on my pistol.
THE FOREMAN. He"s shammin mad: thats what he is. Aint it about time to give a verdict and have a bit of fun, Sheriff?
THE BOYS. Yes, lets have a verdict. We"re wasting the whole afternoon.
Cut it short.
THE SHERIFF [making up his mind] Swear Feemy Evans, Elder. She don"t need to touch the Book. Let her say the words.
FEEMY. Worse people than me has kissed that Book. What wrong Ive done, most of you went shares in. Ive to live, havnt I? same as the rest of you. However, it makes no odds to me. I guess the truth is the truth and a lie is a lie, on the Book or off it.
BABSY. Do as youre told. Who are you, to be let talk about it?
THE SHERIFF. Silence there, I tell you. Sail ahead, Elder.
ELDER DANIELS. Feemy Evans: do you swear to tell the truth and the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you G.o.d?
FEEMY. I do, so help me--
SHERIFF. Thats enough. Now, on your oath, did you see the prisoner on my horse this morning on the road to Pony Harbor?
FEEMY. On my oath--[Disturbance and crowding at the door].
AT THE DOOR. Now then, now then! Where are you shovin to? Whats up?
Order in court. Chuck him out. Silence. You cant come in here. Keep back.
(Strapper rushes to the door and forces his way out.)
SHERIFF [savagely] Whats this noise? Cant you keep quiet there? Is this a Sheriff"s court or is it a saloon?
BLANCO. Dont interrupt a lady in the act of hanging a gentleman. Wheres your manners?
FEEMY. I"ll hang you, Blanco Posnet. I will. I wouldn"t for fifty dollars hadnt seen you this morning. I"ll teach you to be civil to me next time, for all I"m not good enough to kiss the Book.
BLANCO. Lord keep me wicked till I die! I"m game for anything while youre spitting dirt at me, Feemy.
RENEWED TUMULT AT THE DOOR. Here, whats this? Fire them out. Not me. Who are you that I should get out of your way? Oh, stow it. Well, she cant come in. What woman? What horse? Whats the good of shoving like that?
Who says? No! you don"t say!
THE SHERIFF. Gentlemen of the Vigilance Committee: clear that doorway.
Out with them in the name of the law.
STRAPPER [without] Hold hard, George. [At the door] Theyve got the horse. [He comes in, followed by Waggoner Jo, an elderly carter, who crosses the court to the jury side. Strapper pushes his way to the Sheriff and speaks privately to him].
THE BOYS. What! No! Got the horse! Sheriff"s horse? Who took it, then?
Where? Get out. Yes it is, sure. I tell you it is. It"s the horse all right enough. Rot. Go and look. By Gum!
THE SHERIFF [to Strapper] You don"t say!
STRAPPER. It"s here, I tell you.
WAGGONER JO. It"s here all right enough, Sheriff.
STRAPPER. And theyve got the thief too.
ELDER DANIELS. Then it aint Blanco.
STRAPPER. No: it"s a woman. [Blanco yells and covers his eyes with his hands].
THE WHOLE CROWD. A woman!
THE SHERIFF. Well, fetch her in. [Strapper goes out. The Sheriff continues, to Feemy] And what do you mean, you lying jade, by putting up this story on us about Blanco?
FEEMY. I aint put up no story on you. This is a plant: you see if it isnt.
[Strapper returns with a woman. Her expression of intense grief silences them as they crane over one another"s heads to see her. Strapper takes her to the corner of the table. The Elder moves up to make room for her.]
BLANCO [terrified]: that woman aint real. You take care. That woman will make you do what you never intended. Thats the rainbow woman. Thats the woman that brought me to this.
THE SHERIFF. Shut your mouth, will you. Youve got the horrors. [To the woman] Now you. Who are you? and what are you doing with a horse that doesn"t belong to you?
THE WOMAN. I took it to save my child"s life. I thought it would get me to a doctor in time. It was choking with croup.
BLANCO [strangling, and trying to laugh] A little choker: thats the word for him. His choking wasn"t real: wait and see mine. [He feels his neck with a sob].
THE SHERIFF. Where"s the child?
STRAPPER. On Pug Jackson"s bench in his shed. He"s makin a coffin for it.
BLANCO [with a horrible convulsion of the throat--frantically] Dead! The little Judas kid! The child I gave my life for! [He breaks into hideous laughter].
THE SHERIFF [jarred beyond endurance by the sound] Hold you noise! will you? Shove his neckerchief into his mouth if he don"t stop. [To the woman] Dont you mind him, maam: he"s mad with drink and devilment. I suppose theres no fake about this, Strapper. Who found her?
WAGGONER JO. I did, Sheriff. Theres no fake about it. I came on her on the track round by Red Mountain. She was settin on the ground with the dead body on her lap, stupid-like. The horse was grazin on the other side of the road.
THE SHERIFF [puzzled] Well, this is blamed queer. [To the woman] What call had you to take the horse from Elder Daniels" stable to find a doctor? Theres a doctor in the very next house.
BLANCO [mopping his dabbled red crest and trying to be ironically gay]
Story simply wont wash, my angel. You got it from the man that stole the horse. He gave it to you because he was a softy and went to bits when you played off the sick kid on him. Well, I guess that clears me. I"m not that sort. Catch me putting my neck in a noose for anybody"s kid!
THE FOREMAN. Dont you go putting her up to what to say. She said she took it.
THE WOMAN. Yes: I took it from a man that met me. I thought G.o.d sent him to me. I rode here joyfully thinking so all the time to myself. Then I noticed that the child was like lead in my arms. G.o.d would never have been so cruel as to send me the horse to disappoint me like that.
BLANCO. Just what He would do.
STRAPPER. We aint got nothin to do with that. This is the man, aint he?
[pointing to Blanco].