Page 177 (1/2)

She huddled against Ji did either speak They watched and listened The

streams of miners turned back toward the space around the scaffold

where the vigilantes stood grouped, and there rose a subdued roar of

excited voices Many silante leader brought all to attention by addressing the

populace in general Joan could not hear what he said and had no

wish to hear

"Joan, it all happened so quickly, didn't it?" whispered Ji his head as if he was not convinced of reality

"Wasn't he--terrible!" whispered Joan in reply

"He! Who?"

"Kells" In her mind the bandit leader dominated all that wild

scene

"Terrible, if you like But I'd say great!The nerve of hiilantes and thousands of miners! But he

knehat that shot would do!"

"Never! He never thought of that," declared Joan, earnestly "I felt

hilimpse of his faceOh!First in his

mind was his downfall, and, second, the treachery of Frenchy I

think that shot showed Kells as utterly desperate, but weak He

couldn't have helped it--if that had been the last bullet in his