The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-07-12
"You shall have part Of the re-

"You shall have part Of the re-
ward'-
81 don't touch blood money!" she
interrupted fiercely.
''It don't matter. I'll catch him
yet. He's a cold blooded william
wanted for murder"
"Alurder?"
The girl shivered. Her face paled
into whiteness Alb had never seen
blanch it's deep, healthy hues.
Murdered an old man for
his money. They're sure to
lynch him if they get
hands on him. Murder and robbery.
I'm certain to nab him sooner or lat
en-" added the detective, with the
professional gusto OF a man who had
bagged human game.
Miriam listened YEARLY while they
told the terrible tale to Alb. She
watched her father narrowly. The
quasi moonshiner might condone Of
lenses against the revenue but muir
der!-she knew that he had a super
stitious horror of a man with blood
on his hands.
"He h'ain't fifteen ter git off, Mirry,"
he whispered, while the search went
on in the angry thoroughness Of
threatened discontinue "He'll 1otch
us turrible luck, eff he's done hit, en- ,
Mirry, he shan't hev you, noways.
Well git inter trouble long ohm ef
we dom tell"
Father, I've helped en- stood by
you, hcv'n't I?'' asked the girl, q
passionate pleading in every Inca
ment and accent.
"True huff, Nlirry; you've helped
me pow'ful; but 'twurnever murder"
he rejoined, uneasi!y. "Hit's no
good a-hopin' murder"
"No, no! wouldn't do it neither;
but he says he is innocent, father
inherent? Mayhap he is, en-
likely he hain;t likely he's ies' a-fool-
in wild you, kase he's sartin, you'll
help him out'n his trouble" shrewd-
II interposed Alb.
"Father, he says he didn't murder
he says so," she repeated; ZEN
don't you u'n against us"
Gus? He sha'n't hev you"
The girl chung to him desperate,
terror stricken violence.
"No, l won't never go with him till
you give the say so, father" she prom
Used, recklcssly. "But he didn't do it
he is innocent, en- I'll hold to him
till it comes all right"
Alb turned away-his wrinklcd
countcnance had grown hard and
stern in aspect. He wished he had
| heard it all before they told Miriam,
OR before they had come into the
house and the girl had reminded him
If the time when her vigilance and
devotion had stood him in good stead
while "Guv 'menters'' hunted for the
free distillery.
Angry and disappointed ofthe gains
for which they served justice, the Gle.
tectives came in from their futile
search. They had found the two or
three brush thatched outhouscs an
infinitesimal shred of the "premises, -
compared with the black ravine, the
dense thickets, the great pine forest
stretching away into untold laby.
rinths.
"Sce here, old man, threatened
the ferret faced detective, you'd do
we'll to tell the truth. We're sure the
fellow is here, and we're a-goin' to
stay till we catch him, so you might
as we'll own up at once"
"Dunno but l might" acknowledg.
ed Alb.
"Heathe was here to-day, wasn't
hep questioned the man, in boiling
evaporation.
"Jes' so, capting; he wur here ter.
day"
Thought so. Gimme the truth
now. He's here now, amt he?'
Alb tore off a long leaf of tobacco
from a home grown twist and held it
in tempting proximity to his mouth
"Nut' raj huff, capting, eff he hahn t
guy you the slip he be heah yit."
'Confound the fellow, we might
a-known by their takin' itso cool that
he had vamosed; curse the whole bust
ness!' anorily retorted Paxton; but
Alb had slowed the tobacco leaf safe
ly into his mouth and lazily dropped
into chair before the fire.
His talk was over for the time.
The lukewarm sheriff and enraged
detectives had taken themselves off
down the ridge, some time before AT
said, with satisfied chuckle.
"Twan't no lie es I tole 'eln, Mirry
I knowed them pow'ful sharp fellerf
wouldn't believe hit; but mind you
gal, you hain't got my say so tel
TEX no man commits murder, en-
you'll never git hit, kase he DOM
mean you right, en- hits onlucky.
The girl knew her father too we'll te
demonstrate. She knew, too, thai
Heathe was only safe while she ad
hcred to her promise not to marry
him without Abs permission. TIL,
cold winter frightened it's grip, ant
still an uneasy sense Of surveillance
and danger hung over them. The ole
moonshiner's family had once beef
full of expedients for deluding doubt
| full visitors. They seemed to conn
back to Miriam, along with thou
sands of ingenious devices for tn,
comfort and safety of her lover. Al
the winter long he was neither sce1
; nor heard of at Abs cabin, but all TIN
winter long neither rain, nor snow
nor raging tempest-thc tempes
. ofthe mountains-prevented the girl
daily pilgrimage to the hut in tn
black ravine. Alb would watch her 81
out in the whirling snow wrcaths
with the basket on her arm, but h
J never questioned her GRAND. So tn
| winter dragged it's ice cold length
| away. The fine frosty flakes of snov
| betokened a fierce storm coming owe
the ridge-already it had siftcd lilz
| white powder into crack and crevice
shutting out the rigid wind roarin;
! savagely among the pines outside
> but passing almost eontemptuousl,
the warm, substantial cabin crouch
ing beneath them. The snow dead
J. ened all sounds without, the dog
gave no how'll nor warning. when s1d