THE IMPERIAL ENGINEER Read Online Free Page B

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being subject to the will of another, and he that has not a vote in the election of
representatives is in this case, a slave.'
    "Is there among you anyone who would not fight to keep your right to vote?"
    The reply started as a murmur, but it soon grew to a roar. Clearly the men in the
audience valued their right to vote and would indeed fight to retain it.
    Lulu leaned forward. "Then why are you not fighting for us?" she cried. "Do you
seek to keep us enslaved forever?"
    She heard a yes from far back in the crowd. Then another, from closer.
Again the audience roared, the majority clearly in favor of the subjugation of their women.
Another tomato came her way, splatting against the lectern, then a rotten potato. She
smelled its fetid odor as it disintegrated. Sick and scared, she stood still, listening to the
sheriff yelling for silence. An egg broke at her feet, releasing sulfurous gas. Then the
lectern rocked as something heavy and hard struck it. Lulu saw a good-sized cobble roll
across the stage. What if that had struck me? But she could not move, for there
was no safety anywhere.
    This time Tao Ni simply tossed her over his shoulder and pushed his way past the
sheriff, who was urging Mrs. Axminster down the steps to safety.
    The abrupt pressure of his shoulder against her diaphragm drove all the air from
her lungs. "Put me down," she finally found breath to say when he was several paces from
the speakers' platform.
    He simply kept pushing through the crowd.
    "I want me some of that," a rough voice said.
    Lulu tried to twist around to see what had brought him to a halt. Before she could
do more than lift her head, she felt herself slipping to the ground.
    "Leave her alone. She's a lady," Tao Ni said.
    Her hair half-covered her face so Lulu swept it back. She and Tao Ni were
surrounded by men who looked as if they'd come directly from the mines. Big men. All
wore anticipatory grins.
    The man in the middle laughed. "No lady's gonna get up and talk bullshit like she
did. I'll bet she's one of them who're workin' to destroy the family. Advocatin' free
love..."
    "I'd take me some of that free lovin'" the man on his right said with a lascivious
grin.
    Tao Ni stepped between her and the men. "Gentlemen, I believe you are mistaken.
I have known Miss King all her life and can vouch that she is a respectable woman from a
good family."
    "Oh, yeah? But does her 'respectable' family know what she's up to? C'mere,
girlie!"
    Before Lulu could move, Tao Ni's open hand had slapped the reaching arms aside.
He thrust her behind him, and in the same blur of motion, tripped the fellow who'd reached
for her. The man fell to the ground.
    One of the others made a grab for Lulu, and Tao Ni shouldered him away. At the
same time, he swung his open hand at the third man, who dodged back from the blow and
fell on his behind.
    "Here, here! What's goin' on?"
    With great relief, Lulu saw the sheriff coming towards them. The man who'd
tripped scrambled to his feet. He lunged toward her, but the sheriff blocked him.
    Before Tao Ni could speak, she said, "These gentlemen seemed to think I desired
their company. When Mr. Dewitt attempted to tell them otherwise, they attacked without
provocation." Much as she hated to make enemies, she'd learned that nothing was gained
by acting like a helpless victim.
    "That right, Dewitt?"
    She could see he wanted to take blame--credit?--for everything. After a short
hesitation, he nodded.
    "Well now, Miss King, I'd like to say this is the end of your troubles. But it ain't.
There's lots of folks hereabouts who won't take kindly to the message you bring. I'm not
sure I approve myself, but that's neither here nor there. My job is to keep the peace and to
protect the citizens of Hailey. As long as you do everything legal, you'll share that
protection. Just don't go rilin' folks any more than you have to."
    "Thank you, Sheriff. I assure you the last thing I want to do is create dissention.
However, I will not be silenced.