Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 27, 1925 — page 71: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

FLIGHT TO lifted her and carried her in his arms, still holding the pistol before him. She could feel the cold metal of it against her face. Inside, huddled like scared rabbits, stood the half dozen imprisoned members of the precocious mob, and at their center their equally scared teacher. Wade Murrell put Cynthia down as soft- ly as he could on one of the long benches that went along the wretched wall of the place. “Til be back d’reckly,” he told her. Then he strode ofer and blocked the single door. Cynthia was sobbing softly, and except for that, the drop of a pin might have been heard through the shac’: in which that “ blab-school ” was taught. Save thet ye’re accounted ter be chil- dren,” came the voice of the man at the door, crackling like torn canvas, “ thar couldn’t none of ye go outen hyar without every bone inside ye broke. Es hit is, ’'m goin’ ter suffer all of ye ter leave save only Daws Small, thet egged ye on—him an’? Jake Carmichael thet teaches this school.” The voice snapped off and then ripped out again, more electrical than before. “Go home an’ tell yore daddies ter whop ye within an inch o’ yore lives. Don’t fail, because ef hit ain’t done, I aims ter do hit myself—an’ do ther like fer them.” Once more the pause followed, a pause made necessary by such a surge of passion as necessitated economy of the effort to speak. THE HILLS. a compani raat om but he took a fist full in his at loosened hi toppled him back ike a ne with ¢ ar Ne Tooked ‘up slonne his hands and knees he P pleadingly fr saw no omen of ny om the Hoor—and It was a typical mountain schoolhouse of the meaner -sort. At the far end its teacher huddled on his own platform of authority with a dilapidated blackboard behind him. Along either side of a center aisle went heavy benches and desks hewn from oak logs, and the few windows were high placed—so that the children might not have their attention distracted by gaz- ing Out across the green slopes. Now, that architectural detail made escape hopeless. Deliberately, for all that there was need of ‘haste in getting Cynthia back to his house, yet with the realization that time well taken was time saved, Wade Murrell dragged two of those bulky benches over and piled them against the door which he had barred. Then he flung aside his coat, and from the automatic pistol drew out the cartridge clip and emptied the cham- ber. He tossed the unloaded thing aside, and, like a human bull, hunched his shoul- ders by the door and glared ahead of him. There, at the far end of the aisle, as far away as they could retreat, the two men whom he meant to punish awaited him. Daws Small, with a trickle of blood flowing from his snarling mouth, was crouching like a dog that awaits the lash. The teacher was shaking as with an ague “Es fer Daws Small thet fomented this ~and his teeth were chattering. Yet, as these business,”’ went on Wade tensely, “ when he goes outen hyar he’s jest barely goin’ ter be able ter crawl home an’ tell his folks what befell him.’”’ He wheeled and faced the teacher, who was shivering and snivel- ing in pathetic terror. “‘ An’ es fer Carmi- chael, thet calls hisself a man an’ holds a teacher’s,s’tificate, he ain’t even goin’ ter be able ter crawl hame. He’s goin’ ter lay hyar twell they comes an’ fotches him away—”’ “Wade Murrell flung open the door, and under his arm the culprits sneaked out one by one. At the end of the line, driven by a compelling ~ear, young Small made a lunge seeking to break through with his two saw what Murrell was doing, as they realized that he was disarming himself, and that they stood two to one in a free for all, a shade of hope and desperado courage came stealing back into their fear-chilled blood. They did not want to fight. Even if, between them, they could whip this man, they faced the after consequences of his wrath. But that they had already incurred, and they were cornered rats. Each hoped that while the other was being chastised he might himself effect an escape. For a moment, like a bull pausing be- fore his lunge, Wade stood at the door savagely eying them; then, with an infu- riated roar, he launched himself to his COnniEaoo () SS Co