Murrell laughed contemptuously.
"What's all this fuss over Norton's death amounted to ?" he said.
"Are you sure you have come to the end of that, John ?" inquired Fentress, still smiling.
"I don't propose to debate this further," rejoined Murrell haughtily.
Instantly the colonel's jaw became rigid.

The masterful airs of this cutthroat out of the hills irked him beyond measure.

Murrell turned to Ware.
"How soon can you get away from here, Tom ?" he asked abruptly.
"By God, I can't go too soon!" cried the planter, staggering to his feet.

He gave Fentress a hopeless beaten look.

"You're my witness that first and last I've no part in this!" he added.
The colonel merely shrugged his shoulders.