Thomas County cat., 1888-06-14

line or change of proportion or point
of view was to her like telling lie.
..She was an enthusiastic sketcher.
Her walking dresses were always
made with a wide pocket in the skirt
such as lady book-agents use. where
thin sketch-book could be carried
without attracting attention. Living
in suburban village. she had easy
access to both the city and the coun-
try. and found. wherever she went.
plenty of subjects for her pencil
sometimes she made sketching ex-
cursions to the city parks and muse
ums; sometimes she rode with her
father on his professional visits, and
occupied herself with drawing cattle,
barnyard fowls and country ragamuf-
fins while she was waiting for him at
the farmhouse gate; sometimes she
rambled through the fields and woods,
attended by a middle-aged maiden
cousin of the family. and usually also
by old Hannibal. her fathers mastiff.
"On the day noted in the sketch
yonder she had spent the afternoon in
making fern and moss studies in Pig
! con Hollow, a picturesque little ravine
in what are called Indian Woods. a
mile or more from her home. Her
usual body guard accompanied her.
As they CAME out of the hollow they
spied sleeping tramp stretched on a
sunny bank. Hannibal was for war.
The frightened maiden cousin was for
fight. But Miss Evans silenced both,
drew 'out her sketch-book, recon-
noitered for a favorable point If view,
seated herself ON convenient stone,
and proceeded to represent the uncon-
scious vagabond as accurately as if
she were under oath to tell the truth.
the whole truth. and nothing but the
truth about him. 1t was past sunset
when she finished the sketch, and dusk
when she reached home.
Through a more distant part of the
Indian Woods was highway leading
to the city. On that highway. just at
dusk on that same evening. market
gardener. driving home from the city
with a considerable sum uf money in
his pocket was assaulted and robbed
by two men who made their escape
into the woods. The alarm was quickly
given. and in half an hour the woods
were alive with men in search of the
miscreants. The gardener was able to
| give an accurate description of the
man who took the money from him
of his complexion, beard, stature. hat,
coat. and the cudgel with which he
was armed.
HALFWAY to Pigeon Hollow a man
was found completely answering the
description. and having the identical
cudgel in his hand. and the empty
wallet of the gardener in his pocket.
But he stoutly denied all knowledge of
the robbery. He gave his name and
represented himself to be discharged
farmland on his way to the city to
look for work.
He haa no accomplice. he said. and
no companion. He had been asleep on
the other side of the wood 1t was not
half all hour since he awaked. He had
seen no one. had not been to the high
way. and did not know where it was.
The wallet and the cudgel he had
picked up in the woods and that was
all there was about it.
''Of course the posse laughed at his
story, not one word of which they be-
lieved. The gardener positively iden-
titled him. wallet. cudgel and all.
They tried hard and long to make him
tell what he had done with the money.
and where the other man was.
but they got nothing out of him but
the same absurd denials, and the same
incredible story.
"They had no doubt that he had
concealed the money. or passed it over
to his accomplice; but. as it was now
too dark to look for the other offender.
they gave up the chase for the night,
and turned back with their prisoner.
THE next morning the gardner re-
turned with the detective, and searched
the woods through and through, but
without result. In a piece of soft
ground near the entrance to Pigeon
Hollow they found some prints of the
hob-nailed boots. and not far away a
lady's handkerchief, with the mono
gram Il in in one corner; but they at
tached no Importance to either. and
did not imagine them to have any con-
nection with each other.
"Well. to make a long story short
the man was in due time brought to
trial for highway robbery. and by
some chance. which then thought
rather unfortunate. it fell to my lot to
undertake his defense. l was then a
young attorney, passing through the
starvation period of my career. and
was glad of almost any thing in the
way of business. but l did not enter
into that case with much enthusiasm.
expected the mans conviction. and
was strongly inclined to believe that
he deserved it But before the day for