"I don't see how he could do it!" grand-
mother kept saying.

Otto misunderstood her. "Why, mam, it
was simple enough; he pulled the trigger with
his big toe. He layed over on his side and put
the end of the barrel in his mouth, then he
drew up one foot and felt for the trigger. He
found it all right!"

"Maybe he did," said Jake grimly.
"There's something mighty queer about it."

"Now what do you mean, Jake?" grand-
mother asked sharply.

"Well, mam, I found Krajiek's axe under
the manger, and I picks it up and carries it
over to the corpse, and I take my oath it just
fit the gash in the front of the old man's face.
That there Krajiek had been sneakin' round,
pale and quiet, and when he seen me examinin'
the axe, he begun whimperin', 'My God, man,
don't do that!' 'I reckon I'm a-goin' to look
into this,' says I. Then he begun to squeal like
a rat and run about wringin' his hands.
'They'll hang me!' says he. 'My God, they'll
hang me sure!'"

Fuchs spoke up impatiently. "Krajiek's
gone silly, Jake, and so have you. The old
man wouldn't have made all them prepara-

[[111]]

p110 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p111w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p112

v?