"
"One of two things?" says Will.
"Yes," says the doctor, very quiet, but raising
his voice a little and looking him hard in the eyes.
"You and your gang can mean only one of two
things. Either a bad joke, or else--"
And he stopped a second, leaning forward in his
chair, with the look of half raising out of it, so as
to bring out the word very decided--
"MURDER!"
The way he done it left that there word hanging
in the room, so you could almost see it and almost
feel it there, like it was a thing that had to be faced
and looked at and took into account. They all
felt it that-a-way, too; fur they wasn't a sound fur
a minute. Then Will says:
"We don't plan murder, and you'll find this
ain't a joke. And since you refuse to accept
counsel--"
Jest then Buck Hightower interrupts him by yell-
ing out, "I make a motion Billy Harden be prosecut-
ing attorney, then. Let's hurry this thing along!"
And several started to applaud, and call fur Billy
Harden to prosecute. But Will, he pounded down
the applause agin, and says:
"I was about to suggest that Mr. Harden might
be prevailed upon to accept that task."
"Yes," says the doctor, very gentle and easy.
"Quite so! I fancied myself that Mr. Harden came
along with the idea of making a speech either for
or against.
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