The Wrong Man — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

6g THE WRONG MAN. “Oh, fifteen or twenty miles up the river, »3r may be more” __ answered the old man, a good deal embarrassed. . “ This stirrup-leather is the very mate of it,” said the peddler, snowing the one which had been found with the body. “ They are as jike as two peas, and I sort o’ guess they're twins, As he said this, he fixed his keen, twinkling eyes upon Sedley. “Poh! poh! I tell you mine is lost,” stammered the old man. “And this was lost, too, but was found again, and in rather 9 queer place for a stirrup-leather to be lost. It was found tied to the feet of Ned Overton’s body.” “Ha! Jet me see it!” cried the voice of a third person, who. wy Soars had joined the group. oth turned quickly round, and saw the sinister countenance of Hugh Overton leering between their shoulders. He was just tame era from a hunting-excursion that had lasted two or three days, and as he glided toward the group with his stealthy Indian tread, his soft, a moccasins had given them no warning of = his approach. ‘The woodman rudely seized the stirrup-leather from the hands of the peddler, and hastily comparing it with the corresponding one attached to the saddle, turned to Sedley, and abruptly accused him of being accessory to the murder of his brother. As he uttered this charge in a boisterous voice, he grasped the old man by the collar, and called upon the peddler for assistance. “ Hold off your hand!” cried Sedley, his face first flushing. with crimson, and then fading to a pallid hue. ) “Ay, ay, hands off,” repeated the peddler, “and let’sinquire a little further into this business.” pe But Hugh Overton—who was probably the originator of the now common Kentucky boast that he could “ lick his weight in . ieee . ’ hari, wild-cats,” and who really had pretensions in the way of per- sonal strength and daring that went further than mere respect _ 4 for his character in producing the cool civility with which he __ was generally treated—Hugh Overton showed no disposition to a obey the command of either the old man or the shitter. Sed- —~ ley fatigued, exhausted, conscience-stricken, made but feeble forts at resistance. Yet still he did resist, and in the rep | 2 z was backed up ohare one of the rails that protected the ri of the bridge. These were nothing more than long, slender saplings, supported at either end by forked posts, to which they were fastened by withes stripped from their own bark. Over- a ton, in his blind fury, pushed the oll man with such violence ggainst this frail barrier that the elastic pole sprung out to some nce beyond the edge of the bridge. The peddler saw the imminent danger in which they were placed, and shouted aloud to them, but not soon cngugs to prevent the oe ets eS Tn a frenzied struggle to release himself from his perilous _— tion, Sedley had unwittingly increased the momentum givento his hody—the pole bent and snapped—the brittle ligaments — 4 comicbooks:com >. &