Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-09-01

stayed the usual tlme. AS ureW uear ne
hailed me.
"Seen anything Of Pratt!"
What was to saya I had seen the last Of
him. I felt already like murderer, because,
circumstantially, was in-the position Of one.
People talk as if ,"clear conscience" was
equal to any situation. did not find it 50.
II saw him about three hours ago going up
the river" was my reply.
eWhere was heF' asked Hillyear.
Great heavens! I thought, how much Of
this game of evasion am to play from this
out. I said: HE passed the cabin about
nine this morning, and went into the chap
paral about yonder,n and I pointed to ths
spot where had seen Pratt disappear at tho
hour I named. Hillyear resumed his cook
ing. went into my cabin and took big
traught of. whisky. Broener always had on
hand a demijohn Of the best. There are times
when ones system IS not equal to the making
of strength from ordinary food. I hold
alcohol as food-an artificial one, and an
unhealthy one for steady use.
After supper I trudged down to the store,
for wanted other than my own thoughts
that evening for company. The Bull Bar
nucleus for goods and gossip was full as
usual of miners, raising q dense fog OF
tobacco smoke, whose flavor was more than
dashed with en,anations from Goldfish, onions
and whisky. Mr.. Rankin had received that
day new supply Of provisions from Stock
ton, and was scolding his partner, who acted
as buyer and teamster combined, for the
poor quality Of some cigars he had brought
up.
"H you buy any more cigars like them,"
said he, II want you to hire and bring up
some men to smoke them. These poor crea-
lures about here haven't lungs strong enough
to draw on 'em. They want all their strength
to draw rocks out Of the bed of the river,
and it's for my interest to see that it's saved
for that purpose, at the rate I'm chalking up
flour, boots and whisky against them"
''Got any better cigars than the last lott"
asked miner, who, just coming in, had not
heard Rankin's last remark
.''Yes," replied Rankin "Splendid lot
Hayanas-only it wants bull team to draw
one. Try one. You'll find it'll last you a
month. Just the quality to suit your case.
You smoke too much. These cigars are got
up express to cure people Of smoking. One'u
lastan ordinary man whole year. Ask Mike,
nv partner. He had 'em made to order"
Rankin's gable was relief. Big Dick
came in, and forgetting past admonitions,
hoisted his huge proportions on the limited
area Of counter uncovered by goods, and
Immediately got Off again with quickness
that suggested some uncomfortable SEN
sation
"Glad it works." said Rankin. "Nothin'
but needle stuck through the wood. Some
folkses heads are too thick to take hint.
Then we try some other part. II at first
you don't succeed, try, try again." chimed
Rankin, and then added: Needles and
pins, Needles and pins, When you get mar
ried your trouble begins.'"
Presently Hillyear entered A cloud
seemed to como with him. To me it was as
if the vindictive spirit Of the dead man
kept him company.
He looked about anxiously, as II with the
hope that Pratt might be present. I knew the
meaning Of that look.
Hillyear was a slow-moving man, appa-
rently follower Of Pratt and led by him.
Without his partner he seemed lost
elias anybody seen Pratt todays He
hasn't come back, after time he asked, in
his heavy, drawling way "a sentence with
him seemed always matter Of previous deep
and labored study, and when asked the SIM
plest question the time that elapsed before he
replied was e1asperating to an eager in
quirer).
"Why, I saw him piking along Scrub noun
tain today" said one of the crowd. "What's
he gunnin' after up there, anyhow!"
"Holder, didn't see you crawlin' among
the bushes up there to-dayp said one Bill
Setter. "That red shirt you've got on looks
like the one saw"
Fool that was! had not thought Of
wearing garb which would show so conspic-
uously against the dark bottle green OF the
chapparal
YES, I took a stroll that way" I said. I
felt forced into such reply He continued:
What did yer find to shoot up there!
Rattlesnakes or jackass rabbits! heard
shot"
That was Pratt's pistol Sights and
sounds seemed drawing their meshes about
me- Hiliyear was looking at me in his stolid
fashion as if some faint glimmer Of an idea
were creeping into his brain
II shot nothing" was my reply
The talk then drifted toward mysterious
murders and robberies-then common in
that country-and cases were mentioned
which had finally been traced to men-neigh-
bors of the slain-whoSe lives had previously
shown no such inclination.
Rankin's humor inclined him ever to give
an individual the very characteristic which
he most lacked. Slow men he spoke of as
marvels of dispatch, taciturn men as dis
turbing all about by the clatter Of their
tongues. I, with my shy, quiet, reticent
manner, evidently ranked with him as q
most peaceable character. 1t seemed to me
then as if some fiend prompted him to the re-
mark:
shouldn't wonder if Holder had way
laid and murdered Pratt. Put another man
in his private graveyard"
YES" added another second fiddle humor-
ist That's what he knocks off work so
early for in the morning"
"And the last mans blood is on his pants
now!' added a third
had worn pair of white duck working
trousers and spot of the blood from Pratt's
body had sIneered them near the feet lad
not noticed it before.
This remark called to me the attention Of
all in the dingy store. Their eyes seemed to
burn through ME. I felt as If in the dock
tried, convicted. sentenced.
I left soon afterward Hillyear's route
home was mine. We were obliged to walk
near each other on the narrow, rocky trail,
wide enough for single traveller With all
the dark suspicion which feared existed in
his mind concerning ME felt sorry for him.
felt when about him that his was one Of
those natures, born to follow-that Pratt
had picked him up as he would stray dog
looking for master, and that with the in
stinct of the animal he had become attached
to Pratt and was grieving for him.
l tried in vain that night to sleep. So soon
as my body was at rest, and my brain be-
came more active than ever, its picturings
vibrating from Pratt's body to the store, and
from the scenes of that day to the possible
ones Of tomorrow.
Something must be done with that body
Where it was it must not remain
You know how in our minds come floating
memories-recent or remote, important or
trivial, and Of no apparent relation to the
main subject of thought. So in my mental
vision that night came the black buzzard 1
had seen in the sky the day before the scene
of the tragedy, and his bit of black shadow
floating on The ground by me.
Tbst huzzardi That buzZard and his COM