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He seemed to be unconscious of the attitude in which he stood toward most of his neighbors. Bill and Sarah were not present, and that gave additional color to the story of trouble between the sisters. After the sermon Deacon Harkey led the Sunday School, and the critics of his action were impressed more than usual with his smooth and quiet utterance.
Hans did not answer, but she saw the shot-gun going to his shoulder. She grasped the muzzle with her hand and threw it up. "Leave me alone!" he cried hoarsely. He tried to jerk the weapon away from her, but she came in closer and clung to him. "Hans! Hans! Wake up!" she cried. "Don't be crazy!" "He killed Dutchy and Harkey!" was her husband's reply; "and I am going to kill him."
Bill's hired hand, on his way to the spring about the middle of the forenoon, met Jim Harkey, who said wickedly in answer to a jocular greeting: "Don't give me none of your lip now; we'll break your necks for two cents." The hand came to Bill with the story. "Bill, they're on the fight." "Oh, I guess not." "Well, they be. We better not run up against them to-day if we don't want trouble."
"Well I ain't takin' sides. Some young'un may have took it." "Well, let's go in, boys; I see the Elder's come. By gum, there's Harkey!" They all looked toward Harkey, who had just driven up to the door. Harkey came into church holding his smooth, serious face a little one side, in his usual way, quiet and dignified, as if he were living up to his Sunday suit of clothes.
Harkey was subdued by the bitterness of accusation in Sarah's face as well as by Emma's condition. She hurried down the Coolly and sent a boy wildly galloping toward the town. Then she went home and sat down by her own hearthstone feeling deeply injured. When the Doctor came he found a poor little boy baby crying in Sarah's arms.
No surprise showed in his face, not even curiosity. Harkey lay at his feet, but he took no notice of him. So far as he was concerned, Harkey's body did not exist. "Much wind," the Indian remarked by way of salutation. "All well? Very well?" Hans, still grasping the gun, felt sure that the Indian attributed to him the mangled corpses. He glanced appealingly at his wife.
"How'd Harkey feel?" Sarah smiled. "I don't know and care less. He'll make trouble if he can, but I don't see how he can. He agreed to have the Deacon do the dividin', and he'll have to stand by it so far as I can see." Mrs. Turner looked dubious. "Well, you know Ike Harkey. He looks as though sugar wouldn't melt in his mouth, but I tell you I'd hate to have dealin's with him."
"You might send home that cow-bell of mine while you're about it," Bill called after him, but Harkey did not reply or turn around. The line fence ran up the bluff toward the summit of the ridge to the east.
"Well, Bill Gray told Jinks Ike had stole a cow-bell that belonged to the black farrer cow," said another late comer. "Stole a cow-bell," and they all drew closer together. This was really worth while! "Yes, sir; Jinks told me he heard Bill say so yesterday. That's the way I heard it." "Well, I'll be cussed, if that ain't small business for Ike Harkey!"
She formally charged Michael Dennin with the murder of Dutchy and Harkey, and the prisoner lay in his bunk and listened to the testimony, first of Hans, and then of Edith. He refused to plead guilty or not guilty, and remained silent when she asked him if he had anything to say in his own defence. She and Hans, without leaving their seats, brought in the jury's verdict of guilty.
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