Sudden--At Bay (A Sudden Western #2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

intervention of the sheriff
prevented murder. As it was, shots were fired; the sheriff was
wounded.’ He turned towards Billy, frowning. ‘I will ask the jury
for its verdict unless you have something to say, prisoner. I warn
you, however, that it had better not be anything insulting to this
court.’
    ‘ I misdoubt I could think of
anything which would insult this court,’ was Billy’s cold reply,
but his irony was completely lost upon the
elephant hide of the old judge, who was leaning back in his chair, confident that his task was completed.
But Billy was not finished. ‘If I was out
o’ here, I’d take after that polecat again!’ Kilpatrick leaned
forward sharply.
    ‘ Then perhaps we shall have to
ensure that you are prevented from doing
so, won’t we?’ There was malignant evil lurking deep in his reddened eyes, and a message passed between
him and the older Cotton, unspoken but
explicit.
    ‘ Jury, have you heard
enough?’
    The broken-nosed man who had spoken
earlier stood up.
    ‘ We shore have, Judge. We don’t
need to waste any more time considerin’ any
verdict. That young hellion’s guilty as hell!’ Billy’s lips tightened at these words, but he made no other
motion. An excited buzz of conversation
swept through the room now, and the spectators craned to get a
better view of the condemned man.
Kilpatrick cleared his throat, and banged upon the table for silence.
    ‘ Hornby, you’ve been found guilty.
It now becomes my painful duty to pronounce
sentence on you.’
    A hush descended upon the listening
audience. For the first time, Art Cotton
leaned forward, his flat eyes watching the pro ceedings with something like interest. His brother leaned back
in his chair, arms spread wide along the
backs of his own and his brother’s seats,
his legs crossed, a long cigar in his thick lips. He looked as if he was enjoying himself in his own
parlor.
    ‘ The sentence of this court is
that you be taken to the Territorial prison, by the sheriff of this
town, and delivered there to serve a
sentence often years hard labor for the willful and
deliber ate attempt at assassination you
have perpetrated today. Sheriff, see to it
that my sentence is carried out!’ He banged once upon the table
with his hammer and stood up. With a last baleful glance at his victims, he shuffled off down to the
other end of the room, where the bartender
had set up a bottle of whisky and a glass.
Kilpatrick gulped a large dose down like water, and splashed another into the glass in the time it took Parris
and his deputies to prod Green to his feet and precede Billy
through the jeering crowd of spectators out into the street and
towards the jail. As they crossed the street, Green heard Sim
Cotton’s bull voice shouting ‘Set ’em up for everyone, Blass!’ and heard
the ragged cheer which followed this command.
    ‘ That’ll make him popular,’
commented Billy bitterly. ‘In a few hours they’ll be thankin’ him
for treatin’ them like dawgs.’
    ‘ Yu shut yore yap, Hornby!’
snapped Parris. ‘No more talkin’.’
    ‘ I’ll talk when I please, yu fat
tub o’ lard,’ retorted Billy. ‘I ain’t takin’ orders from yu, an’
that’s whatever.’
    ‘ Yu’ll take ’em when we step out
for Santa Fe,’ Parris reminded him. They clumped into the little
office, and the deputy called Norris motioned Green to sit down.
Billy was shoved through the heavy door leading into the corridor
where the cells lay, and in a moment the puncher heard the heavy
door bang shut, and the grating sound of the metal bolt being shot.
Parris and his other deputy came back into the office.
    ‘ Yo’re movin’ on, Green,’ the
sheriff told the puncher levelly. ‘An’ yu better keep on movin’ if
yu’ve got the sense God gave ants. Yu show yore head in this town
again, an’ someone’ll shoot it off. Dan!’ This to the shorter of
the two deputies. ‘Yu an’ Jerry ride a ways with Mr. Green here.
Make shore he takes the right road.’