The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-11-20
him, and he turned its light full upon

you'll perhaps feel better"
DID feel better. The brandy sent
the blood back to my hsart, strength
encd my mind and nerves, restored
NE, soul and body. to myself.
When handed the bottle back to him
l saw that he had barred his head, and
was steadily regarding the placid face
on the pillow.
'.Dead!' he said.
Murdered, Joyce"
He lifted the lantern higher. and
approached the bed.
True. It's Il ghastly sight; no
wonder it upset you"
LAY. but that's not tho worst"
answered. "Let's go back, and I'll
tell you all"
He looked surprised. but his sur
prise was nothing to the amazemcnt
that oyercame him when he got out
side, aud l related what had happen
ed.
~"Strange" he remarked. .Why
didn't you let me search the cottage
before we lest?"
at would have been useless, joyce.
Whoever the miscreant is, it is not
likely he would risk detection by stop
ping there longer than he could help.
We must hunt for him nearer homc.,'
AS spoke. we arrived ut n bend in
the road, and ] noticed a light in the
window of Coles house.
Look" said l; 1.-THE farrier is IN
late tonight"
lie had heard us. and presently ap.
peared ut the door. His face showed
deep marks of care, and the lines
about his mouth were very noticeable.
Perhaps he was suffering from over.
fatigue, or had other matters to worry
MN OF which we know nothing. He
listeneu quietly 10 to my account of
the murder. and made no remark till
L had finished. Then he eyed me
closely, and came II step nearer.
rs there any n whom you sus-
pect?" he said.
Mo-
.Sad-very sad. Let us hope,
Mi. Elder, that you may be fortu-
nate enough to discover the crimi-
nal"
W. thanked him, and walked on.
l sat up all night to write out
my report of tho case, and fell
asleep at last with the sunlight of
the new morning pouring into the
room.
The inquest was held tn REQ days la
ter alta n%eighboring Inn, known as
the Spotted Dog, and | was the first
witness examined. On the whole, l
would rather not state my opinion of
The proceedings. and if you ask me
what country inquest means, | treat
The question as a dismal conundrum
and give it up IN despair. There were
the usual villagers in greasy mock
fr0cks; there was the usual old lady,
who always appears in her Sunday
clothes on such occasions: there were
the wheelwright, the blacksmith, and
the parish clerk, proud alike in the
consciousness that they were public
officials and not above the honor of
doing their duty in a noble and disin-
terested manner before the ewes of
their grateful countrymen. The Cor
oner was a fat. pompous man, who
loved the sound Of his own voice and
worried everybody to distraction ut
every stage of the inquiry. My inter-
est was, however, languidly stirred
when Cole stepped forward in his
turn. Being sworn, the farrier de-
clared that he had first heard from me
OF the old mans death and that he
knew absolutely nothing but what l
had told him. The upshot Of it all was
that the jury returned a verdict of
''Wlllful murder against some person
or persons unknown" and so the mat
ter ended.
Nothing occurred for some weeks
afterward. The future was unknown,
the present was m%onotony; so pass.
ed the weary hours. The events
OF life arc not evenly distributed
over the whole of its course, but
come unexpectedly rs the advent of a
ghost.
The course of Time had not flowed
peacefully for Cole. either; he was
changed in more ways than one. The
strangest thing about it was, that the
change was hard to describes; it show
ed Itself in y hundred little signs which
n stranger would scarcely notice, but
which could not, on my part, mis-
interpret. At one period tho curious
look in his yves was more marked
than ever, and he would stalk about,
moodily silent. with his hands crossed
behind him; ut another he would be-
come iiercely irritable and grumble
in his room for hours together.
This alienation between gloomy
despondency and wild excitement was
certainly remarkable. and taken in
connection with what l had lately OBJ
served Of him. it suggested to me Quo
plain explanation OF the M stery--an
explanation which | secuted at first,
but ended by accepting u conclusion
which it was impossible to resist.
The farrier was mad.
dare not say Il word to my COM
rade, for it might have been danger
GUS to trust him. joyce never knew
why l persisted in keeping the house.
door locked, or why, contrary to my
usual habits, l carried a loaded pistol
in my pocket. and would not trust
myself near Cole when the night was
closing in.
Another matter which occupied my
thoughts 10Y and again, was the
murder of Branweli.
As regards my conduct in that mel
ancholy business, my conscience was
clear. l had done all man could,
within the narrow limits assigned to
me, to discover the miscreant WHO had
been in the cottage On that momora-
BILE occasion, and had then so sudden
ly disappeared. IT 1 accepted the
common OF the village, he wal
a conviction London, long since lost
in the byways of villsiny from which
he had emerged; but / preferred to be-
lieve that no was some person who
knew his victim and had deliberately
hunted him down. The murderer was
a robber as we'll
''Sooner or later we shall meet
again." thought. land them"
LAT zone out ono iirr evening. |