The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1886-12-22

ii saw him about three hours ago going I'D
the river" was my reply.
Where was hef" asked HiIlyear
Great heavens! | thought, how much Of
this game of evasion am to play from this
out l said: He passed the cabin about
nine this morning, and went into the chap
paral about yonder," and l pointed 70 the
spot where had seen Pratt disappear at the
hour | named. Hillyear resumed his cook
ing. | went into my cabin and took big
draught of whisky. Broener always had on
hand demijohn of the best. There are times
when ones system is not equal to the making
of strength from ordinary food hold
alcohol a fOod-an artificial one, and an
unhealthy one for steady use
After supper l trudged down to the store,
for l 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 a dense fog of
tobacco smoke, whose favor was more than
dashed with emanations 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.
IF you buy any more cigars like them
said he, Il want you 10 hire and bring up
some men to smoke them. These poor crea-
lures about here haven't lungs strong enough
TO draw on EN-. They want all their strength
TO draw rocks ont Of the bed o. the river,
and it's for my interest TO see that it's saved
for that purpose, at the rate I'm chalking up
four boots and whisky against them"
Got any better cigars than the last iotT
asked miner, who just coming in, had not
heard Rankin's last remark .e.
YES" replied Rankin "Splendl lot
Havanas-only it wants bun team 20 draw
one Try one You'll find it'll last you q
month Just the quality to suit your case.
You smoke too much. These cigars are got
up express to cure people of smoking. One'n
last an ordinary man whole year. Ask Mike,
my partner. He had em made to order"
Rankin's gable was q 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 of again with a quicknes'
that suggested some uncomfortable SEN
sation. ..-..
Glad it works. said Rankin "Eothin'
hut needle stuck through the wood Some
folkses heads are too thick to take a hint
Then we try some other part If at first
you don't succeed, try, try again" ehimed
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 If with the
hope that Pratt might be present knew the
meaning of that look.
Hillyear was slow-moving man, appa-
rently follower of Pratt and led by him
Without his partner he seemed lost
Has anybody seen Pratt today4 BE
hasn't come back, after a time be asked, in
his heavy, drawing way Ia 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 exasperating to an eager In
quirer)
''Why, saw him pfking along Scrub noun
tain today" said one Of the crowd whats
he gunnin' after up there, anyhowp
Holder didn't l see you crawlin' among
the bushes up there to-dayf 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 tbs
chapparaL
Yes, took stroll that way" said. |
felt forced into such reply He continued:
What did yer find to shoot up therel
Rattlesnakes or jackasS rabbitsl beard a
shot,
That was Pratt's pistol Sights and
sounds seemed drawing their Heshes about
me- Hillyear was looking at me in his stolid
fashion as if some faint glinmer Of an idea
were creeping into his brain
Il shot nothing" was my reply. s''e
The talk then drifted toward mysterious
murders and robberies-then common in
that country-aud cases were mentioned
which had finally been traced to men-neigh-
bors of the slain-whose lives had previously
shown no such inclination ..s..-
Rankin's humor inclined him ever to give
an individual the very characteristic which
be 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 10
mark: s-. rr g.,
Shouldn't wonder il Holder had way
laid and murdered Pratt Put another man
in his private graveyard" r'-'.-'t t-'+ -jus
''Yes," added another second fiddle humor-
ist. That's what he knocks of work 20
early for In the morning"
"And the last mans blood 10 On his pants
now!n added a third ,+tft
| had worn pair OF white duck working
trousers and spot Of the blood from Pratts
body had srneared them near the feet-I had
not noticed it before, r'
This remark called TO me the attention OF
all i'll the dingy store, Their eyes seemed to
burn through me felt as If in the dock
tried, convicted, sentenced
left soon afterward Hllyear's ro1te
home was mine We were obliged to walk
near each other on the narrow, rocky trail,
wide enough for a single traveller. With all
the dark suspicion which l feared existed in
his mind concerning me felt sorry for him
felt when about him that his was one OF
those natures, Eorn to follow-that Pratt
had picked him up as hs would d stray dog
looking for a master, and that with the in
gtinct OF the animal he had become attached
to Pratt and was grieving for him
tried in vain that night to sleep So soon
as NV hody 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 to morrow. -f-
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 subjectIof thought So in my mental
vision that night came the black buzzard
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.
That buzzardl That buzzard and his COM
panions would tomorrow show to the search
ers surely where the body lay! No animal in
that country may die OF highway or byway
en- PLAIN, gulch or mountain, and though it
be ever so thickly screened by bushes,
though not one of these scavengers be visible,
yet within few hours troopiDg they come,
led by some wondrous faculty of scent or
vision tothe carcass, their feastsy
That body, must remove, and this very
night. / jumped up, dressed myself in the
darkness 8, and in few minutes was stumbling
I'D the mountain side. An ''old moon" gave
me its fading yelowish light Much Of the
trail, both up AMI down, lay in almost total
darkness Where the pines grew thickiy some
times l lost my way entirely. gFoped and
stumbled over bush and rock. In two hours
was again ON the spot. IN
1t was my intent TO drag the body down
the mountain side and throw it in the river.
Whether it was found far or near, 1t would,
] thought, lessen and break the web Of cir
cumstantial evidence saw weaving about
me. 1t would put Pratt OF the ground
must frequent. Hai.
The FRAGMENT Of moon remaining was lust