The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-08-30

bits as there are links in your story"
$50 on, DaniA go on" said the 9th
srs, IAN, md, if he Interrupts you again well
so do. Well-Foxpaw waited tire,
days, patiently, for the next link, ant
then the brig came to port, and MurdmaI
came to the tavern, and the landlord in
PRODUCED bin to FoXpaw, over a & lass
and they sat down to talk. Sol wa.
usually cool fellow, but, as he after.
wards said, he had his scruples about
sitting down and talking with murder
er, and he felt very pale and nervous
considering the critical business he was
on. Sol eyed him carefully all over, and
he seemed to look homelier and homelier
the more he examined him. He thought
of poor Paul Picra, and felt ashamed OF
himself because he had been drinking in
friendly manner with this monster, who
for three years had escaped being hung,
and who no doubt imagined he should
escape forever.
81 have drunk with him. thinks Sol,
but it was means to an end; and as
that end is ropes end, shouldn't feel
ashamed; but must begin to gather up
more links, however l feel And pretty
soon he had good opening.
"'Do you chew?' says Mike Murdman.
81 do says Sol, holding out plug;
and if you don't like to bite it off, here's
knife to cut it, And he pulled out the
rusty jack-knife he had found in the
woods.
"'What's this9' says Mike, staring at
the knife, just as Sol expected he would.
"'Only knife found, says Sol. Per
haps you've lost one. Does it belong to
youT
"'To me2' says Mike, looking at it
with shudder and coloring up. 4 guess
not. Take it back. Horrible! don't
cut tobacco with such a knife as that!'
"'You needn't be afraid. 1t is rusty
but you don't think there's blood on ii, do
youl'
"'Blood9' says Mike, with another
shudder.
Eyes, blood repeats Sol, severely.
AS l told you, found that knife; and
who knows but there's blood, and human
blood, on it, which makes it So rusty?
The murderer might have thrown it away,
after he had done the deed, mightn't hel
and thought nobody would find it!'
How should knowg
cit is an old knife continues Sol,
but an older head owned it, l reckon.
Yet the oldest heads are liable to get out
of their latitude and longitude. Now,
you are seafaring man, and have you
ever been to Mosscreek?'
'Mosscreek9 Well, may say have,
once
" land more, tooF
Ono. Only once
"'Only once. And what did you go
there fors'
81 didn't go there .forn says Mike,
with kind of sneer, as if he was mad to
be so questioned; and Sol said he looked
confused. Il didn't 60 there for nything.
got drunk-stepped aboard the vessel
by mistake, and got there by accident
"'By accidentl A stranger there?
Then you don't remember young clerk,
Paul Picra9'
Ono
"'Nor the woods-nor that cave?'
81 thought not. Short memory, l
suppose?'
"'You ask a great many questionsr
now says Mike. Are you crazy2 You
are very pale
est is you who are pale says Sol !;
and want you to answer me some more
questions
"Not another word, till you take more
brandy says Mike. you need it,
"'One word for me and two for him.
self, thought Sol. His guilt makes him
faint, and he wants glass to stiffen him
up. I'm willing. More drink will make
him less cautious
$50 he agreed, and they drank two or
three times more. He seemed to gull it
down like fish,, Sol said, and thought
| should soon get him drunk. But in
stead of that, got floored myself. lost
all consciousness, and was put to bed, and
next day l was unable to find him any
where. Suspecting that he had got the
start of me, and had fled out of my reach
for the present, 1 now thought says Sol,
that the best thing l could do was to go
back to Mosscreek for a day, and have a
talk with Paul's old employer and the
town authorities So Solomon Foxpaw
did 90 back and told them all that he had
discovered and heard; and what do you
thnks They actually laughed in his
face, and said that all these links, which
he had taken so much pains to get togeth-
er, amounted to nothing!"
THAT was all they knew" exclaimed
Daniel Wonders indignant hearers. "But
how did Solomon Foxpaw get hold of the
slippery murderer at lastS"
s.iI. I;jn,t ,,.t hold IF him - said Dan.