But even at that moment his smile was beautiful.
It was as if he were weeping inwardly, and his lips trembled, too, for
all that he boasted of being able to smile at such a solemn moment.
I was no woman, and he saw well enough that he made no impression on me.
He grew impatient, his face paled, he circled round me with hasty steps,
showing up now to the left, now to the right of me, and stopping every
now and then to wait for me to come up.
About five, I heard a shot all of a sudden, and a bullet sang past my
left ear. I looked up. There was Glahn standing motionless a few paces
off, staring at me; his smoking rifle lay along his arm. Had he tried to
shoot me? I said:
"You missed that time. You've been shooting badly of late."
But he had not been shooting badly. He never missed. He had only been
trying to irritate me.
"Then take your revenge, damn you!" he shouted back.
"All in good time," I said, clenching my teeth.
We stood there looking at each other. And suddenly Glahn shrugged his
shoulders and called out "Coward" to me. And why should he call me a
coward? I threw my rifle to my shoulder--aimed full in his face--fired.
As a man soweth...
Now, there is no need, I insist, for the Glahns to make further
inquiry about this man. It annoys me to be constantly seeing their
advertisements offering such and such reward for information about a
dead man.
Pages:
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181