The sound appeared to come from the front shutters.It suddenly occurred to him that the light might be visible through the crevices.He hurriedly extinguished it,and went to the door.
"Who's there?"
"Me,--Peters.Want to speak to you."
Mr.Harkutt with evident reluctance drew the bolts.The wind,still boisterous and besieging,did the rest,and precipitately propelled Peters through the carefully guarded opening.But his surprise at finding himself in the darkness seemed to forestall any explanation of his visit.
"Well,"he said with an odd mingling of reproach and suspicion."Ideclare I saw a light here just this minit!That's queer.""Yes,I put it out just now.I was goin'away,"replied Harkutt,with ill-disguised impatience.
"What!been here ever since?"
"No,"said Harkutt curtly.
"Well,I want to speak to ye about 'Lige.Seein'the candle shinin'through the chinks I thought he might be still with ye.If he ain't,it looks bad.Light up,can't ye!I want to show you something."There was a peremptoriness in his tone that struck Harkutt disagreeably,but observing that he was carrying something in his hand,he somewhat nervously re-lit the candle and faced him.
Peters had a hat in his hand.It was 'Lige's!
"'Bout an hour after we fellers left here,"said Peters,"I heard the rattlin'of hoofs on the road,and then it seemed to stop just by my house.I went out with a lantern,and,darn my skin!if there warn't 'Lige's hoss,the saddle empty,and 'Lige nowhere!Ilooked round and called him--but nothing were to be seen.Thinkin'he might have slipped off--tho'ez a general rule drunken men don't,and he is a good rider--I followed down the road,lookin'for him.I kept on follerin'it down to your run,half a mile below.""But,"began Harkutt,with a quick nervous laugh,"you don't reckon that because of that he"--"Hold on!"said Peters,grimly producing a revolver from his side-pocket with the stock and barrel clogged and streaked with mud."Ifound THAT too,--and look!one barrel discharged!And,"he added hurriedly,as approaching a climax,"look ye,--what I nat'rally took for wet from the rain--inside that hat--was--blood!""Nonsense!"said Harkutt,putting the hat aside with a new fastidiousness."You don't think"--"I think,"said Peters,lowering his voice,"I think,by God!HE'SBIN AND DONE IT!"
"No!"
"Sure!Oh,it's all very well for Billings and the rest of that conceited crowd to sneer and sling their ideas of 'Lige gen'rally as they did jess now here,--but I'd like 'em to see THAT."It was difficult to tell if Mr.Peters'triumphant delight in confuting his late companions'theories had not even usurped in his mind the importance of the news he brought,as it had of any human sympathy with it.
"Look here,"returned Harkutt earnestly,yet with a singularly cleared brow and a more natural manner."You ought to take them things over to Squire Kerby's,right off,and show 'em to him.You kin tell him how you left 'Lige here,and say that I can prove by my daughter that he went away about ten minutes after,--at least,not more than fifteen."Like all unprofessional humanity,Mr.
Harkutt had an exaggerated conception of the majesty of unimportant detail in the eye of the law."I'd go with you myself,"he added quickly,"but I've got company--strangers--here.""How did he look when he left,--kinder wild?"suggested Peters.
Harkutt had begun to feel the prudence of present reticence.
"Well,"he said,cautiously,"YOU saw how he looked.""You wasn't rough with him?--that might have sent him off,you know,"said Peters.
"No,"said Harkutt,forgetting himself in a quick indignation,"no,I not only treated him to another drink,but gave him"--he stopped suddenly and awkwardly.
"Eh?"said Peters.
"Some good advice,--you know,"said Harkutt,hastily."But come,you'd better hurry over to the squire's.You know YOU'VE made the discovery;YOUR evidence is important,and there's a law that obliges you to give information at once."The excitement of discovery and the triumph over his disputants being spent,Peters,after the Sidon fashion,evidently did not relish activity as a duty."You know,"he said dubiously,"he mightn't be dead,after all."Harkutt became a trifle distant."You know your own opinion of the thing,"he replied after a pause."You've circumstantial evidence enough to see the squire,and set others to work on it;and,"he added significantly,"you've done your share then,and can wipe your hands of it,eh?""That's so,"said Peters,eagerly."I'll just run over to the squire.""And on account of the women folks,you know,and the strangers here,I'll say nothin'about it to-night,"added Harkutt.
Peters nodded his head,and taking up the hat of the unfortunate Elijah with a certain hesitation,as if he feared it had already lost its dramatic intensity as a witness,disappeared into the storm and darkness again.A lurking gust of wind lying in ambush somewhere seemed to swoop down on him as if to prevent further indecision and whirl him away in the direction of the justice's house;and Mr.Harkutt shut the door,bolted it,and walked aimlessly back to the counter.