And then the gun fell from Minter's hand and he
dropped on his side. His strength had failed him at the last moment.
"But I say, sirs, that what Terence Hollis did was the finest thing I
have ever seen in my life, and I have seen fine things done by gentlemen
before. There may be unpleasant associations with the name of Terry's
father. I, for one, shall never carry over those associations to the son.
Never! He has my hand, my respect, my esteem in every detail. He is a
gentleman, my friends! There is nothing for us to do. If the sheriff is
unfortunate and the wound should prove fatal, Terence will give himself
up to the law. If he lives, he will be the first to tell you to keep your
hands off the boy!"
He ended in a little silence. But there was no appreciative burst of
applause from those who heard him. The fine courage of Terence was, to
them, merely the iron nerve of the man-killer, the keen eye and the
judicious mind which knew that the sheriff would collapse before he fired
his second shot. And his courtesy before the first shot was simply the
surety of the man who knew that no matter what advantage he gave to his
enemy, his own speed of hand would more than make up for it.
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