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The Frontiersmen by Mary Noailles Murfree
page 34 of 221 (15%)
It was the maddest folly to dispatch to angry men, smarting under a
grievous injury, messages of taunt and defiance by the one person who in
their opinion, perhaps, had carelessly or willfully wrought this wrong.
His life would pay the forfeit of the folly of his fellow-stationers.

Mivane noted suddenly that the woman rocking the cradle was laughing
with an ostentatious affectation of covert slyness, and a responsive
twinkle gleamed in the eyes of John Ronackstone. As he caught the grave
and surprised glance of his visitor he made a point of dropping the air
of a comment aside, which he, as well as she, had insistently brought to
notice, and Mivane was aware that here was something which sought an
opportunity of being revealed as if by necessity.

"Well, sir," Ronackstone began in a tone of a quasi-apology, "we were
just saying--that is, I sez to X, who was in here a while ago,--I sez,
'I'll tell you what is goin' to happen,'--I sez, 'old Gentleman
Rick,'--excuse the freedom, sir,--'he'll be wantin' to send somebody
else in Ralph Emsden's place.' X, he see the p'int, just as you see it.
He sez, 'Somebody that won't be missed--somebody not genteel enough to
play loo with him after supper,' sez X. 'Or too religious,' sez I. 'Or
can't sing a good song or tell a rousing tale,' sez X. 'Or listen an'
laugh in the right places at the gentleman's old cracks about the great
world,' sez I. 'He'll never let Ralph Emsden go,' sez X. 'Jus' some poor
body will do,' sez I. 'Jus' man enough to be scalped by the Injuns if
the red sticks take after him,' sez X. 'Or have his throat cut if the
cow-drivers feel rough yet,' sez I. 'Jus' such a one ez me,' sez X. 'Or
me,' sez I."

"Sir," said old Mivane, rising, and the impressive dignity of his port
was such that the cradle stopped rocking as if a spell were upon it, and
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