Right behind him was a
tall, spare feller, with black eyes and straight
iron-gray hair.
"I vote," says Billy Harden, beginning of his
speech, "I vote for death. The reason upon which
I base--"
But Doctor Kirby riz up and interrupted him.
"You are going to kill me," he said. He was pale
but he was quiet, and he spoke as calm and steady
as he ever done in his life. "You are going to kill
me like the crowd of sneaking cowards that you are.
And you ARE such cowards that you've talked two
hours about it, instead of doing it. And I'll tell
you why you've talked so much: because no ONE
of you alone would dare to do it, and every man of
you in the end wants to go away thinking that the
other fellow had the biggest share in it. And no
ONE of you will fire the gun or pull the rope--you'll
do it ALL TOGETHER, in a crowd, because each one will
want to tell himself he only touched the rope, or
that HIS GUN missed.
"I know you, by God!" he shouted, flushing up
into a passion--and it brought blood into their
faces, too--"I know you right down to your roots,
better than you know yourselves."
He was losing hold of himself, and roaring like a
bull and flinging out taunts that made 'em squirm.
If he wanted the thing over quick, he was taking
jest the way to warm 'em up to it.
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