The Call of the Cumberlands

Samson's toe touched the pistol which had dropped from Farbish's hand

and he contemptuously kicked it to one side. He came back to his place.

"Now, Mr. Horton," he said to the man who stood looking about with a

dazed expression, "if you're still of the same mind, I can accommodate

you. You lied when you said I was a savage--though just now it sort of

looks like I was, and"--he paused, then added--"and I'm ready either to

fight or shake hands. Either way suits me."

For the moment, Horton did not speak, and Samson slowly went on: "But, whether we fight or not, you've got to shake hands with me when

we're finished. You and me ain't going to start a feud. This is the

first time I've ever refused to let a man be my enemy if he wanted to.

I've got my own reasons. I'm going to make you shake hands with me

whether you like it or not, but if you want to fight first it's

satisfactory. You said awhile ago you would be glad to be more explicit

with me when we were alone--" He paused and looked about the room.

"Shall I throw these damned murderers out of here, or will you go into

another room and talk?"

"Leave them where they are," said Horton, quietly. "We'll go into the

reading-room. Have you killed any of them?"

"I don't know," said the other, curtly, "and I don't care."

When they were alone, Samson went on: "I know what you want to ask me about, and I don't mean to answer you.

You want to question me about Miss Lescott. Whatever she and I have

done doesn't concern you, I will say this much: if I've been ignorant

of New York ways, and my ignorance has embarrassed her, I'm sorry.

"I suppose you know that she's too damned good for you--just like she's

too good for me. But she thinks more of you than she does of me--and

she's yours. As for me, I have nothing to apologize to you for. Maybe, I

have something to ask her pardon about, but she hasn't asked it.

"George Lescott brought me up here, and befriended me. Until a year

ago, I had never known any life except that of the Cumberland

Mountains. Until I met Miss Lescott, I had never known a woman of your

world. She was good to me. She saw that in spite of my roughness and

ignorance I wanted to learn, and she taught me. You chose to

misunderstand, and dislike me. These men saw that, and believed that,

if they could make you insult me, they could make me kill you. As to

your part, they succeeded. I didn't see fit to oblige them, but, now

that I've settled with them, I'm willing to give you satisfaction. Do

we fight now, and shake hands afterward, or do we shake hands without

fighting?"