The first time he moved he had merely placed his feet upon the floor,
to rest himself. The second movement resulted in him raising his
smashed hands and lifting the noose from his neck.

He threw it viciously from him after removing it, so that it flew over
the top of the partition and swished sinuously upon the floor of the
kitchen.

For Barney Owen had not done a good job in hanging Dale. For when
Barney had run across the kitchen with the rope, to tie it to the
fastenings of the door, it had slacked a little, enough to permit
Dale's toes to touch the floor of the pantry.

Feeling the slack, Dale had taken advantage of it, throwing his head
forward a little, to keep the rope taut while Owen fastened it. All
that had been involuntary with Dale.

For, at that time Dale had had no thought of trying to fool Owen--he
had merely taken what chance had given him. And when the first shock
of the thing was over he had begun his attempts to reach the top of the
partition in order to slacken the rope enough to get it over his
head--for at that time he did not know that already the rope was slack
enough.

It was not until after his hands had been smashed and he had dropped to
the floor again, that he realized that he might have thrown the rope
off at once.

Then it was too late for him to do anything, for he felt Owen above