, 1877-09-07

bltS AS there are links In your story
Go ON, Daniel, 20 on said the 9th.
ers, "and if he interrupts you again we'll
hang him"
80 DO, Well Foxpaw waited three
days, patiently, for the next link, and
then the brig came to port, and Murdman
came to the tavern, and the landlord in.
troduced him to FoNpaw, over glass,
usually n cool fellow, but, As he after.
wards said, he had his scruples about
sitting down and talking with murder
er, and lie 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
a 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 1t 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 chewT says Mike Murdman.
~ 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 this' 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
your
"'To me'' says Mike, looking at it
with shudder and coloring up. 4 guess
not. Take it back. Horrible! 1 don't
cut tobacco with such knife as that!'
"'You needn't be afraid. 1t is rusty
but you don't think there's blood on IL, do
youl'
"'BIOod' says Mike, with another
shudder.
"'Yes, blood repeats Sol, severely.
AS | 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 d. ne tue deed, mightn't hel
and thought nobody would find it!'
How should knows'
"'It is an old knife continues Sol,
'but an older head owned it, 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
"'And more, too!'
"'No. Only once
"'Only once. And what did you go
there for9'
"I didn't so there forr says Mike,
with kind Of sneer, as if he was mad to
be 50 questioned; and Sol said he looked
confused. 4 didn't go there for any ything.
l got drunk-stepped aboard the vessel
by mistake, and got there by accident
"'By accidentl A stranger there9
Then you don't remember young clerk,
Paul Picra9'
"'No.'
"'Nor the woods-nor that cave''
"'No.'
81 thought not. Short memory, 1
supposea
"'You ask great many questionsp =
now says Mike. Are you crazy2 You
are very pale
1T 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, aud he wants glass to stitfen him
him less cautious
$50 he agreed, and they drank two or
three times more. He seemed to gulp it
down like fish, Sol said, and I thought
I should soon get him drunk. But in-
stead of that, got floored myself. l lost
all consciousness, and was put to bed, and
next day was unable to find him any
where. Suspecting that he had got the
start of me, and had fed out of my reach
for the present, now thought says Sol,
that the best thing l could do was to go
back to Mosscreek for 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
think2 They actually laughed in his
face, and said that all these links, which
he had taken so much pains to get togeth-
or, amounted TO n0thtng!"
''That was all they knewl" exclaimed
Daniel Wonders indignant hearers. "But
how did Solomon Foxpaw get hold Of the
slippery murderer at last2"
'He didn't get hold Of him." said Dan
iel Wonder.
"No2"
"No. What the authorities said dis
couraged him, and he then resolved that
be would not pursue the search any fur
ther."