"What?"
"How do you make your living?"
"Punchin' cows. Not that I 'low it's any o' yore d——d business."
"Where do you reside?"
"Where do I live?"
"Yes."
"Well, now, I don't know. My folks lives on the Brazos, an' I've been drivin' two years. Now I taken up a claim on the Smoky, out here. I 'low I'll go North right soon, to Wyoming maybe."
"How old are you?"
"Oh, I don't know; but I 'low about twenty-four or twenty-five, along in there."
"Where were you last Wednesday?"
"What?"
"Were you one of the posse sent out to search for Cal Greathouse?"
"Yep; me and Cap Franklin, there."
"Who else?"
"Why, Juan, there, him. He was trailin' the hoss for us."
"Where did you go?"
"About sixty miles southwest, into the breaks of the Smoky."
"What did you find?"
"We found a old camp. Hoss had been tied there, and broke its lariat.
Bushes was broke some, but we didn't see no blood, as I know of."
"Never mind what you didn't see."
"Well, now — "
"Answer my question."
"Now, say, friend, you don't want to get too gay."
"Answer the question, Mr. Haskins," said the Court.
"Well, all right, judge; I'll do it to oblige you. The most we saw was where a fire had been. Looked like a right smart fire. They was plenty o' ashes layin' there."
"Did you see anything in the ashes?"
"What business is it o' yourn?"
"Now, now," said the Court, "you must answer the questions, Mr.
Haskins."
"All right, judge," said Curly. "Well, I dunno hardly what we did see any mor'n what I tole all the boys when we first brought Juan in. I tole you all."
"Correct the witness, your Honour," said Franklin.
"Answer only the questions, Mr. Haskins," said the Judge.
"Very well," said the prosecutor; "what did you see? Anything like a man's figure?"
"We object!" said Franklin, but Curly answered: "Well, yes, it did look like a feller a-layin' there. But when we touched it — "
"Never mind. Did the prisoner see this figure?"
"Shore."
"What did he do?"
"Well, he acted plumb loco. He gets down an' hollers. 'Madre de Dios!' he hollers. I 'low he wuz plenty scared."
"Did he look scared?"
"I object," cried Franklin.
"S'tained," said the judge.
"'Ception," said the prosecuting attorney.
"Well, what did the prisoner say or do?"
"Why, he crawls aroun' an' hollers. So we roped him, then. But say — "
"Never mind."
"Well, I was — "
"Never mind. Did you — "
"Shore! I foun' the end o' the lariat tied to a tree."
"But did you — "
"Yes, I tole you! I foun' it tied. End just fits the broke end o' the lariat onto the saddle, when the hoss come back. Them hide ropes ain't no good."
"Never mind — "
"If ever they onct got rotten — "
"Never mind. Was that Greathouse's rope?"
"Maybe so. Now, them hide ropes — "
"Never mind about the hide ropes. I want to know what the prisoner did."
"Well, when we roped him he didn't make no kick."
"Never mind. He saw the figure in the ashes?"
"What do you know about it? — you wasn't there."
"No, but I'm going to make you tell what was there."
"You are, huh? Well, you crack yer whip. I like to see any feller make me tell anything I don't want to tell."
"That's right, Curly," said some one back in the crowd. "No bluff goes."
"Not in a hundred!" said Curly.
"Now, now, now!" began the judge drowsily. The prosecuting attorney counselled of craftiness, at this juncture, foreseeing trouble if he insisted. "Take the witness," he said abruptly.
"Cross-'xamine, d'fence," said the judge, settling back.
"Now, Curly," said Franklin, as he took up the questioning again, "please tell us what Juan did after he saw this supposed figure in the ashes."
"Why, now, Cap, you know that just as well as I do."
"Yes, but I want you to tell these other folks about it."
"Well, of course, Juan acted plenty loco — you know that."
"Very well. Now what, if anything, did you do to this alleged body in the ashes?"
"'Bject! Not cross-examination," cried the State's attorney.
"M' answer," said the judge.
"What did I do to it?" said Curly. "Why, I poked it with a stick."
"What happened?"
"Why, it fell plumb to pieces."
"Did it disappear?"
"Shore it did. Wasn't a thing left."
"Did it look like a man's body, then?"
"No, it just looked like a pile o' ashes."
"Bore no trace or resemblance to a man, then?"
"None whatever."
"You wouldn't have taken it for a body, then?"
"Nope. Course not."
"Was any part of a body left?"
"Nary thing."
"Any boot, hat, or bit of clothing?"
"Not a single thing, fur's I c'd see."
"That's all," said Franklin.
"Re-direct, Mr. Prosecutor?" said the Court. This was Greek to the audience, but they were enjoying the entertainment.
"Pass the re-direct," said the State's attorney confidently.
"Do you wish to recall this witness, Mr. Franklin?" asked the Court.
"Yes, if your Honour please. I want to take up some facts in the earlier life of the prisoner, as bearing upon his present mental condition."
"Very well," said the judge, yawning. "You may wait a while, Mr.
Haskins."
"Well, then, Curly," said Franklin, again addressing himself to his witness, "please tell us how long you have known this prisoner."
"Ever since we was kids together. He used to be a mozo on my pap's ranch, over in San Saba County."
"Did you ever know him to receive any injury, any blow about the head?"
"Well, onct ole Hank Swartzman swatted him over the head with a swingletree. Sort o' laid him out, some."