Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-05-02

fire outside for sake OF comfort 4 fryiur
/ pan was propped uIr 80 as To receive the heat
4 from a bed of glowing Goals and in it waS
their evenings baking of bread He wa,
/ ,oOking from time to time up the river with
that air Of expectancy which accompaut,
the act Of waiting for some one who has over
| STAYED the usual time A. / drew near h,
hailed mr
''S.en ANYTHING of Prsttr
What was {" say: had seen the last OF
him trl, ALREADY like murderer ha.iu>r
rir,umStamtlallv. was i'll the InSitinu Of one
r-VI,. talk a. II clear conscience" wa,
equal Ia any situation did not find 1t ~
Il saw hmu ah"ut thrt~. hours ago going up
h. river. WAS my rely.
'Whrr' was he aSSri Hillvear
Gr,at heavens | th"ught. how much Of
hI- gaInr oG evasion am To- play from this
mt SlId. He aSSei the cabin at,"ut
nine this morning and went into the chap
.,ara al.,ut vundrr." and | pointed tu the
-I,ut WHERE / hai >,pn Pratt disappear at the
hour | named. Hillyear resumed ms cook
M ! went into my cabin and took "a hi-
,liaught of whisky Rr,Sner always ha on
hand Irmiiuhn of the best There are times
when ones system Is not equal Ia the making
OF strength from ordinary food | hold
alcohol aS a foud--Hu artificial one. and an
unhealthy one for steady use
After supper trudgei down TO the store
for | wanted other than my own thoughts
that evening for company The Bull Bar
nucleus for goriS and gossip was full ts
usual Of miners, raising a dense fog of
tobacco smoke. Whose flavor 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
buyer and teanrster combined, for the
poor quality Of some cigars he had brought
up.
If You buy anv more cigars like them"
said he Il want you to hire and bring up
some men Ia smoke them These poor crea-
turtS about here haven lungs strong enough
TO draw on EN- They want all their strength.
to draw rocks out Of the bed of the river,
and its for my interest Ia sne that its saved
for that purInSe, at the rate I'm rhalking up
flour boots and whisky against them"
Got any hrtter cigars than the last lot -
aSkti miner. who. just coming in, hal not
heard Ramkin'S last remark
Yes" rrplirI Rankin Splendid lot
-.avanaS-only il wants hull team t" draw
one Try one You'll find it'll last you a
month just the quality To suit your case.
You smoke too much TheSn cigars are got
up rXurrSS Ia cure people Of smoking. pmell
last an ordinary man whole year Ask Nike,
my PARTNER. He had EN- made to order"
Rankin> gable was a relief Big Dick
came in, and forgetting past admontIonS,
h"isted his huge proportions on the limited
area Of counter uncovered by goods. and
immediately got of again with a quickneSS
that suggested some uncomfortable sen
Sation-
Glad it works" said Rankin "Nothin'
hut needle stuck through the wood Some
folkSsS heads are too thick t" take hint
Then We try some other part. If at first
you don't succeed, try, try again chimei
Rankin. and then added: Needles and
}'ins, Needles and pins When you get mar
rt-j your trouble tegins.
Presently Hillyear enterel A cloud
seemed to come 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
hoE- that Pratt might lie present. | knew the
meaning of that look
Hiliycar was a slow moving man, appa
nantly follower Of Pratt and led by him.
Without his partner he seemed lost.
Has anybndy seen Pratt toIlayl He
hasn't come hack, after time he asked, in
his heavy, drawing way Ia sentence with
him seemed always matter Of previous deep
and lsbOrd study, and when asked the sim !
bhSt question the time that ELAPSED before he /
replied was eXasleTating to an eager in !
guirer1.
Why, saw him piking along Scrub noun .
tain to-day" said one IF the crowd Nv hats I
he gunnin after up there anyhow
Holder, didn't | see You crawlin' among |
the bushes up there today said one Bill !
Setter. That re-l shirt you've got on looks .
like the one saw"
Fool that | was, had not thought OF .
wearing garb which would show 50 conspic- .
uouSly against the dark bottle green Of the |
Yes | took a stroll that way" said. ! |
felt forced into such reply He continued
What did yer find to shoot up there
or jackasS rabLits' heard a
hot
That was Pratts pistol Sights and
sounds seemed drawing their meSheS about
lie Hillyear was looking at me in his stold
ashton as if some faint glimmer of all idea
we're creeping into his brain
Il shot nothing" was my reply
The talk then drifted toward mysterious
murders and robberies-then common in
hat cuuntry-and cases were mentioned
which had finally been traced to men-n neigh
,ors of the slain-whnSe lives had previously
hown no such inclination
Rankins humor inclined him ever TO give
N individual the very characteristic which
e most lacked Slow men he spoke of As
narvels Of dispatch, taciturn men as dis
urbing all about by the clatter of their
ongues l, with my shy, quiet, reticent
manner, evidently ranked with him as a
most peaceable character II seemed TO me
hen as if some tiend prompted him to the re-
lark:
Shouldn't wonder if Holder had 1ay-
aid and murdered Pratt Put another man
n his private graveyard"
YES" added another second fiddle humor-
t That's what he knocks off work so
arly for in the morning"
And the last mans blood is on his pants
ow." added a third
had worn pair Of white duck working
rousers and spot of the blood from Pratt's
ody had sIneared them near the feet-I had
ot noticed it before
This remark called to me the attention of
II in the dingy store. Their eyes seemed to
urn through me. | felt as if i'll the dock
ried, convicted, sentenced
left soon afterward Hillyear's route
ome was mine. We were obliged to walk
car each other on the narrow, rocky trail
,ide enough for single Traveller. With all
be dark suspicion which | feared existed in
is mind concerning me felt sorry for him.
felt when about him that his was one of
hose natures, born 10 fOllow-that Pratt
AL picked him up he would a stray dog
soking for master, and that with the in
tinct of the animal he had become attached
D Pratt and was grieving for him
tried in vain that night to sleep So soon
5 my body was at rest, and my brain I-e-