Page:Morley roberts--Painted Rock.djvu/87

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THE RISE OF GINGER GILLETT

lieve he could be tired; and now it was three o'clock, and the dust stuck to 'em, and they was as red as paint and as an Indian, most horrible to see. They lay mighty quiet, embracin' each other for nigh ten minutes; and then Ginger began movin', and I caught his eye, very hopeful too. And I could see he was goin' for some curious kind of a holt, quite beyond me. But once agin he got on his knees, and then down he went with his arm across Keeley's bull-neck, and he choked him till he was somewhat in want of breath; and then he got his arm right into the back of his coat, and down till he grabbed the waist-band of his pants, so that Keeley's head was under his arm. Then he took a kind of cross in-and-out hold of his legs, and he rose up with Keeley and waddled twenty yards towards the calaboose wdth a wild hurricane of yells goin' on. Then Keeley's coat split right down, and Ginger lost his holt and Keeley fell on his knees. Then for the first time Ginger played cunning. You see, the great scheme was to get the other man to the calaboose, and it stands to reason that the easiest

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