Mr. Saul made a last frantic effort to restrain his friend; he
seized the judge's arm just as the latter's finger pressed the
trigger, and an instant later Fentress staggered back with the
judge's bullet in his shoulder.
CHAPTER XXXVI
THE END AND THE BEGINNING
It was not strange that a number of gentlemen in and about
Raleigh yielded to an overmastering impulse to visit newer lands,
nor was it strange that the initial steps looking toward the
indulgence of their desires should have been taken in secrecy.
Mr. Pegloe was one of the first to leave; Mr. Saul had informed
him of the judge's declared purpose of shooting him on sight.
Even without this useful hint the tavern-keeper had known that he
should experience intense embarrassment in meeting the judge;
this was now a dreary certainty.
"You reckon he means near all he says?" he had asked, his fat
sides shaking.
"I'd take his word a heap quicker than I would most folks,"
answered Mr. Saul with conviction.
Pegloe promptly had a sinking spell. He recalled the snuffing of
the candles by the judge, an extremely depressing memory under
the circumstances, also the reckless and headlong disregard of
consequences which had characterized so many of that gentleman's
acts, and his plans shaped themselves accordingly, with this
result: that when the judge took occasion to call at the tavern,
and the hostile nature of his visit was emphasized by the
cautious manner of his approach, he was greatly shocked to
discover that his intended victim had sold his business overnight
for a small lump sum to Mr.
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