The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-08-18

had passed that way he had been
kindly treated by Mrs. Tracey, and
perhaps that had something to do
with the alacrity of his movement, and
he fastened down the road till il
brought him to small stream, on the
bank of which stood a saw-mill. Mr..
Tracey, the owner of the Halfway
House, was engaged at work here, and
he turned aside to speak to him.
"Pm on business for the King. and
I'm goin' to your house," he an
nounced, with the dignified gravity that
belonged to his royal commission.
"On business for the King, and goin'
to my house. eh?" answered the person
addressed, good-natured smile cross
ing his kindly face. ''Well. reckon
that's high honor to me. You've got
tramp afore you, though, Nat-a good
seven miles"
Il must obey ORDERS" replied Nat.
simply.
"Thats rigit-obey orders. Well,
if you do 60 tell Mrs. Tracey I'll be
home tomorrow night. Tell her, too,
not to be uneasy about that money be-
in in the house, cause I'll see to it when
| Gomez
"What money thatP" asked a fellow
workman as Nat turned away.
"My pension. My claim was allowed
last week, and l got my money-fve
hundred Enthusiastically. was fool
ish not to put it in the bank right of,
but l didn't. and as didn't have time
to go to town yesterday l had to leave
it at home. / reckon it's safe enough,
though, till tomorrow night, and
them
"Histr' interrupted his companion,
suddenly. "What's that?'
Tracey paused to listen.
81 didn't hear anything" he said.
81 thought heard some one over
there" pursued the other. pointing to a
large, high pile of boards few feet
distant-the boards being piled in form
of a square, with large cavity in the
center. Most likely it was rats,
though"
More likely to be rats than anything
else, there's SO many about here"
answered Tracey. Then he added
jocularly: MAYBE, though. it's them
burglars that's been playin' mischief
round these parts for the last week or
so-may be they're slowed away in that
pile of lumber. My! if 1 really believed
that I'd be uneasy myself, for the chaps
would have heard all 1 said about my
pension"
"What burglars is that?' inquired
the other.
"What burglars? Why. man, don't
you read the papers? Why, only yester-
day the Sheriff and his deputies rode by
my house on the hunt for 'em. Last
Saturday night they broke into Lawyer
Burke's house, in the village, and
carried off about a hundred dollars, and
then on Sunday night they got into the
railroad station, broke open the safe,
and made off with about three hundred
more. That's the biggest of their hauls,
though they've entered several other
places"
The conversation was continued on
this topic for few minutes, and then
dropped. Neither of the men thought
it worth while to investigate the cause
of the noise, and they pursued their
work for short time and were then
called over to the other side of the mill.
Just as they disappeared face peered
over the top of the board-pile from the
inside, another followed a moment later,
and presently two rough, villainous-
looking men came into view, and seeing
they were unobserved, sprang quickly
to the ground and fastened into the
forest.
"Close shave that, as bein' as we was
hid there all last night and all day till
now," said one, as he pushed through
the underbrush.
eyes; 1 thought as once them mill
chaps was comm to look, responded
the other. Good for 'em as they
didn't. an took us for rats; cause the
p'lice be on the lookout now an we
don't want to use no shootin' irons an
make things too hot. We must move
put lively from ere, BILL
"Not till we get that ere pension"
Bill, Significantly. ..That
layout were as good as pitched al us.
an it d be a pity not tc take it. sides,
The COMMENT owes me pension for all
The time I've lost in jails and prisons,
an this ere's a good chance to get it.
knows where the crib is, cause we
stopped there last week for somethin' to
eat, don't you mind? This Teller that
OWNS it was there at the time. There is
nobody but woman an two little uns,
an they're easy fixed, an there amt no
3ther house nj h.'
"But there's hat ere other chap as
said as he was a goin' there?''
Him? He's crazy, an if he goes
here at all he'll only stop a bit an move
IN. A tap on the head'n settle him,
anyway, if he's there-but then he won't
be there
During this time Nat was not idle.
His tall form, with long and steady
stride, was fastening forward ION bust
hess for the King" 1t did not occur to
him what he should do when he reached
Tracey's, and had been supplied with
God. At present he was LOBBYING or
lers and beyond that his thought did
lot go. 1t was, indeed, q long walk he
had undertaken. and it was Just at dusk
hat he reached his destination. The
Halfway House was a lonely hostelry,
situated at the intersection of two roads,
With no other house in sight, and was o |
common stopping place for persons pass
NO to and from the city. Nat stepped |
boldly upon the broad piazza in front,
md with full consciousness of his right |