![]() $The newspaper torch went out, leaving the park almost black by contrast. He turned to a man who stood beside him in the near-darkness. Mike felt a little irritation at whoever it was who was trying to burn the body. The burning newspaper lighted the heads of the up-looking men, silent men and fixed they didn't move their eyes from the hanged man. It seemed curious to him that negroes turn a bluish grey when they are dead. Mike could see how the flame curled about the feet of the grey naked body hanging from the elm tree. In the center of the mob someone had lighted a twisted newspaper and was holding it up. He pulled his cap down over his eyes and moved away, but before leaving the park he turned for one last look. He was as heavily weary as though he had gone without sleep for several nights, but it was a dream-like weariness, a grey comfortable weariness. The park lawn was cut to pieces by the feet of the crowd. A tired quiet settled on the people some members of the mob began to sneak away into the darkness. A crowd of people still stood under the elm trees, vaguely lighted by a blue street light two blocks away. 1 The Vigilante by John Steinbeck 5 50 THE great surge of emotion, the milling and shouting of the people fell gradually to silence in the town park.
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