Page:Tomlinson--The rider of the black horse.djvu/270



after the leader had disappeared he returned to the barn, and stopping in front of the place where Robert was tied said to him, "Now, young man, I'm going to give you one more chance. We 've got your friend Jacob all ready to swing from a tree in front of his old tavern, an' we 've got you here where you 'll be able to report just how hot a barn is when it's on fire. Will you tell me where that letter is?"

Robert Dorlon gazed into the face of the cowboy, and for a moment did not speak. He could feel that the color had fled from his own face, and the expression on that of Claudius Brown was terrifying. The brutality, cruelty, and anger that were stamped there were only too apparent, and Robert was but too well assured that he would not easily escape from the clutches of this man. It was still impossible, however, for him to believe that even such a villain as Brown certainly was would carry out his threat. It was true the blazing ruins