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A rabble of a dozen or two of men and boys followed Mace up the street. He led the way with great strides, shouting his threats. As they passed along, women thrust their heads out at the windows, asking, "What’s the matter?" And someone answered each time in a voice of unconcealed delight:

"Sanford’s stole all the money in the bank, and they’re goin’ up to lick ‘im. Come on if ye want to see the fun. "

In a few moments the street looked as if an alarm of fire had been sounded. Half the town seemed to be out, and the other half coming–women in shawls, like squaws; children capering and laughing; young men grinning at the girls who came out and stood at the gates.

Some of the citizens tried to stop it. Vance found the constable looking on and ordered him to do his duty and stop that crowd.

"I can’t do anything," he said helplessly. "They ain’t done nawthin’ yet, an’ I don’t know–"

"Oh, git out! They’re goin’ up there to whale Jim, an’ you know it. If you don’t stop ’em, I’ll telephone f’r the sheriff, and have you arrested with ’em. "

Under this pressure, the constable ran along after the crowd, in an attempt to stop it. He reached them as they stood about the little porch of the house, packed closely around Barney and Sam, who said nothing, but followed Barney like his shadow. If the sun had been shining, it might not have happened as it did; but there was a semi-obscurity, a weird half-light shed by the thick sky and falling snow, which somehow encouraged the enraged ruffians, who pounded on the door just as the pleading voice of the constable was heard.

"Hold on, gentlemen! This is ag’inst the law

"Law to –!" said someone. "This is a case f’r something besides law. "

"Open up there!" roared the raucous voice of Barney Mace as he pounded at the door fiercely.

The door opened, and the wife appeared, one child in her arms, the other at her side.

"What do you want?"

"Where’s that banker? Tell the thief to come out here! We want to talk with him. "

The woman did not quail, but her face seemed a ghastly yellow, seen through the falling snow.

"He can’t come. He’s sick. "

"Sick! We’ll sick ‘im! Tell ‘im t’ come out, or we’ll snake ‘im out by the heels. " The crowd laughed. The worst elements of the saloons surrounded the two half-savage men. It was amusing to them to see the woman face them all in that way.

"Where’s McPhail?" Vance inquired anxiously. "Somebody find McPhail. "

"Stand out o’ the way!" snarled Barney as he pushed the struggling woman aside.

The wife raised her voice to that wild, animal-like pitch a woman uses when desperate.

"I shan’t do it, I tell you! Help!"

"Keep out o’ my way, or I’ll wring y’r neck fr yeh. " She struggled with him, but he pushed her aside and entered the room.

"What’s goin’ on here?" called the ringing voice of Andrew McPhail, who had just driven up with Link.

Several of the crowd looked over their shoulders at McPhail.

"Hello, Mac! Just in time. Oh, nawthin’. Barney’s callin’ on the banker, that’s all. "

Over the heads of the crowd, packed struggling about the door, came the woman’s scream again. McPhail dashed around the crowd, running two or three of them down, and entered the back door. Vance, McIlvaine, and Lincoln followed him.

"Cowards!" the wife said as the ruffians approached the bed. They swept her aside, but paused an instant before the glance of the sick man’s eye. He lay there, desperately, deathly sick. The blood throbbed in his whirling brain, his eyes were bloodshot and blinded, his strength was gone. He could hardly speak. He partly rose and stretched out his hand, and then fell back.