The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1880-01-09

: help. He complained of having fallen IL
q OH heap of broken glass, and held out |
e right hand to exhibit its condition. T
0 doctor took out his pocket case of instr
, ments and extracted five splinters from !
t intlamed palm. While he did 50 the patie
t whimpered like woman.
i ''How was the fellow dressed?" cri
breathlessly. F"
"A blue blouse and black lnderclothe
so far as [ can recall. =
''Could YOU identify him?'
Perhaps. His face made an impressic
on me rather: because it did not seem
match the clothing, and yet, now [ think
it, | seem to see only an ordinary broy
nose and mouth. [ fancy it was the set
the head on the shoulders which locke
. remarkable. Artisans and such folks us,
ally look otherwise. This is all | can sa,
But what makes this matter interesting
you?"
II believe your complaining patient t
: be the principal in the late robbery, cor
cerHing which | have come down here,
replied i'll a low voice. 'sCan you Civ
me any idea as to what became Of the mar
after You were done with him?"
! The doctor looked at me in amazement.
II think he went toward Elms, . h
replied.
l lost no time in going to the same Iii
rcction. An old tree, which forl1ed at til
top, and carried bell in that division
stood on the height near the shore Her
those who wanted to be ferTied over tn
river must stop and ring for the boatman
whose house stood in sheltered nook nea
at hand | shirked preliminares, and mad
at once for the dwelling. Here | found
gigantic person, who declared herself t.
be the daughter of the ferryman and tn
customary rover, when, as now, her fathe
was absent. I sought to gain me conf
dence Of this damsel.
"A friend Of mine went over here.
think, not long since'' I said. He wa
i'll great haste, being on his way to HOLLAND
in order to escape service here in thu
army" T"
The populor antipathy to the enforced
military training loosed her tongue at once
Yes! yes.' she replied. A young
man i'll great haste did surely go over a lit
tie time back. y .."..-...:-- 49,.
''fIe wore blue blouse and black hose? .
Maybe; but it seems to me that lzo had
others with him, Or of his party
every probably. Two others, sup
pose?n
''This was how it was. One man came
to me in the early dawning put him
across.
An hour or so later there came a second
and asked anxiously for the first. When |
told him he was beyond be seemed content
enough and followed The third, your
friend with the blouse, asked if he were
the first who had wanted me that day.
He asked me particularly about the two
had already rowed over, and then seemed
right gay and Jumped into the boat him
self. -
''Ah. One OF the three carried a tin
box:" | said, slipping coin into my
new acquaintance palm.
II never noticed, - answered the girl.
''But saw the third man carried a bundle
or parcel wrapped in . red handkerchief
under his arm. = zss
aNothing more than al the world-two
pennies. /"
ssWith his right hand?"
s:Why hot? F."
ssWasn't his right hand tied up?'
ttNot that | saw. | only knew that he
kept one hand in his pocket-7whether the
right or left | couldn't say now. y
| could really have embraced the tall
ferry woman in spite of her forty summers
and her uncertainty upon minor points.
It was plain that the three ruffians, for
better security, had separated, and that the
last conner was the leader in and the bene-
filter of the crime which had been com
mitted. During his confab with the doc
tor. 40 doubt he had hidden the spoals i'll
some hedge. I was upon his track now.
But [ soon had to cry ''lost. " 1t was
only grevious disappointment to me.
Beyond Ems the clue was nowhere to be
followed. Ilabored In vain in the neigh
borhood for days. I made friends with all
sorts of people-letter carriers, porters,
waiters-and walked many weary mile
In the hot sun. but all to no purpose. |
was baffied and wholly at fault. as much as
though never had hint at all to follow
Nine days had gone by since | had come
TO Il. turned into beer garden IL
the neighborhood Of the town one evening
and sat down near well lighted bowling
alley, in which about ten gentlemen were
busy At the game, My seat was rather Ii
the shade. I paid little attention to the
PLAYERS, but leaned my head upon my
hand and reviewed the defeat | had sus-
tanned. and the small estimation in which
| should be held by my colleagues and cine
at home, feeling extremely out Of humor
saddonly an ill-tirown ball rolled almos
to my feet.
"A miss-a miss!' shouted se+era
voices together, while one cried:
AWhy Bottcher, is your hand not ever
vet recovered: You are not complaining
of it still?"
/ felt like huntsman in a forest VIII
sees the game at his guns end. L was o.
the alert that second. | lost no time i
! finding out Herr Bottcher's antecedents
He was merchant, one of Frau Friedow'
i connections, and an occasional visitor q
her home, He was continual guest g
this place of entertainment. / brougf
the Doctor here next evening and sat BIZ
stealthi1y considering my game. My dii
comtiture was great when he fatty re
fused to identify Herr Bottcher and a.
Enatient as one and the same person. The
MIGHT be one, he confessed, and then the
might not;
t IF the medico turned rusty like ttit
it seemed utterly useless to bring hith'
the ferry-woman ot q like errand. ! mu
trust to myself alone. We officials ha'
, two methods Of doing business Of th
7 sort. We use the long Or short line, a
e cordtpg as eithar seemed most likely
a suit: i determined to try one after anothe
|. In order to put Bottcher quite Of the seen
4 / now went to the host Of the house
7 entertainment and introduced myself
! him as a Hamburg agent for the forbiddt
lotteries. | begged him TO keep Il
It close, but saw hy his face that he inten
u ed doing nothing Of the sort. Next NOR
II ing, 10 my great contentssent, I found N
II selfunder the supervision Of the TOW
y police, and generally regarded By t
ii public as a shabby individual.
/ I, meantime. was a. busy as ever, but
= was little / discovered. Herr Bottch
81 was certainly not in good repute aInol
his fellows. Nevertheless I could hear
e no particular difficulty in which he h
.t11 aT!.