We thought you
wouldn't have no guts, an' we'd----"
"Any what?"
The Texan regarded the other hopelessly. "Oh hell!" he muttered
disgustedly. "Can't you talk no English? Where was you raised?"
The other laughed. "Go on, I will try to follow you."
"I can't chop 'em up no finer than one syllable. But I'll shorten up
the dose sufficient for your understandin' to grasp. It's this way:
D'you know what a frame-up is?"
Endicott nodded.
"Well, Choteau County politics is in such a condition of onwee that a
hangin' would be a reg'lar tonic for the party that's in; which it's
kind of bogged down into an old maid's tea party. Felonious
takin's-off has be'n common enough, but there hasn't no hangin's
resulted, for the reason that in every case the hangee has got friends
or relations of votin' influence. Now, along comes you without no
votin' connections an' picks off Purdy, which he's classed amongst
human bein's, an' is therefore felonious to kill. There ain't nothin'
to it. They'd be poundin' away on the scaffold an' testin' the rope
while the trial was goin' on. Besides which you'd have to linger in a
crummy jail for a couple of months waitin' for the grand jury to set on
you. A few of us boys seen how things was framed an' we took the
liberty to turn you loose, not because we cared a damn about you, but
we'd hate to see even a snake hung fer killin' Purdy which his folks
done a wrong to humanity by raisin' him.
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