Page:Morley roberts--Painted Rock.djvu/233

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THE TALE OF BRAZOS DICK

you shall me,' And the old hawk says, 'Well, my lord, if that's your decision we'll try to make you all hunky till the mornin'. For two of these men 'as their skulls fractured, and your friend fired his gun and no fatal error.'"

He asked for another drink.

"Was he a lord, then?" asked the entire crowd.

"He was," said Dick. "And I ain't goin' to say he was much the worse for that. I doubt if any man in Painted City could do him up with his hands, if biting and gouging was forbid. However, to resoom. I found myself in the early dawn in a narrer room without much accommodation to stretch in. I was in the cooler, and I felt very cool and sad to think whar I'd landed. However, the bull brings me cawfee, which was all I could take, and he grins at me s'if he was pleased. And I asked him where the lord was. And he said he was in the next room; and he let on that it was lucky for me the men we'd killed (if we'd killed any, but he warn't sure) was bad characters and known to the police;

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