The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-07-07

tell where he is"
The man Paxton turned sharply upon
Miriam as he spoke.
"Heathe Is not his name, neither, miss;
and I'll make II worth your while to tell OF
him."
Miriam heard him in silence, set, reso
lutte expression upon her face.
"You shall have part of the reward"
VI don't touch blood money!" she inter.
ruptcd, fercely.
ut don't matter. I'll catch him vet He's
a cold-blooded villain-wanted for murder"
"Murder,"
Tho girl shivercd. Her face pnlcd into
whiteness Alb had never seen blanch its
deep, healthy hues.
Murdered an old man for his money.
They're sure to lynch him If they get their
hands on him. Murder aud robbery. I'm
certain TO nab him sooner or later" added
the detective, with the professional gusto
OF man who had bagged human game.
Miriam listened wcarily while they told
the terrible tsie to Alb. She watched her
father narrowly. Tho quasi moonshincr
might condonc offenses against the revenue,
but murder she knew that he had a super
sttious horror of man with blood on his
hands.
"He h'aint fitten ter git of, Mirry," he
whispered, while tho search went on in the
angry thoroughness of threatened discom-
future. HELL fotch us turrible luck, eff he's
done hit, en-, Mirry he sha'n't hev you,
noways. We'll git inter trouble long o. him
ef we don't tell"
Father I've helped en- stood by you
hewitt IL" asked the girl, a passionate
pleading in every lineament and accent.
"True huff, Mirry; you've holped mo
pow'ful but 'twur never MURDER" he re-
joined, uneasily. "H'it's no good a-holpin'
murder"
"No no wouldn't do it, either; but he
says he is innocent, father"
"Innercent! Mayhap he is, EN- likely he
h'ain't; likely he's jes' a-foolin' wild you,
kase he's sartin you'll holp him out'n his
trouble" shrewdly interposed Alb.
Father, he say he didn't murder--he says
so," she repeated; sem don't you tun
against u.s."
"Us' He shan't hev YOU"
The girl clung to him in desperate, terror
stricken violence.
"No won't never go with him till you
give the say so, father" she promised,
recklessly. "But he didn't do it-he is in.
nocent en- I'll hold to him till it comes all
right"
Alb turned away-his wrinlled counter.
ance 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 Of
the time when her vigilance and devotion
had stood him in such good stead while
"Guvmenters'' hunted for the free distil
lery.
Angry and disappointed OF the gains for
which they served justice, the detectives
came in from their futile search. They had
found the two or three brush-thatched out
houses an infinitesimal shred of the "prem
ises," compared with the black ravine, the
dense thiclkets, the great pine forest stretch
away into untold labyrinths.
"See here" old man. threatened the ferret
faced detective, "you'd do well 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 well own up at once"
"Dunno but l might" acknowledged Alb
"Heathe was here to-day, wasn't hel"
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 hen'
Alb tore off a long leaf of tobacco from
homegrown twist, and held it in tempting
proximity to his mouth.
''Nat'ral 'nuff, capting, Of he h'ain't guv
you the slip, he be heah yit."
"Confound the fellow, we might a-known
by their takin' it Sc cool that he had
vamoosed; curse the whole business ~ an.
grily retorted Paxton; but Alb had slowed
the tobacco-leaf safely into his mouth, and
lazily dropped into chair before the fire.
His talk was over for the time.
The lukcwarm sheriff and enraged de-
tectives had taken themselves off, down the
ridge, some time before Alb said, with
satisfied chuckle:
''Twa'n't no lie es tole 'em, Mirry.
knowed them pow'ful sharp fellers wouldn't
believe hit; but mind you, gal, you h'ain't
got my say so ter TEX no man es commits
murder en- you'll never git hit, l1ase he
don't mean you right, en- hits onlucky."
The girl knew her father too well to re-
monstrate She knew, too, that Heathe
was only safe while she adhered to her
promise not to marry him without Abs
permission. The cold winter tightened it's
grip, and still an uneasy sense of surveil-
lance and danger hung over them. The old
moonshiners family had once been full of
expedient for deluding doubtful visitors.
They seemed to come back to Miriam, along
with thousands of ingenious devices for the
comfort and safety of her lover All the
winter long he was neither seen or heard of
at Abs cabin. but all the winter long neither
rain, nor snow, nor raging tempest-the
tempest of the neutrality-suspicious. the
girls daily pilgrimage to the hut in the
black ravine. Alb would watch her go out
in the whirling snow-wreatfs, with the
basket on her arm, but he never questioned
the errand. So the winter dragged its ice
cold lengths away. The fine frosty flakes
of snow betokened fierce storm coming
over the ridge-already it had sifted like
white powder into crack and crevice, shut
ting out the frigid wind roaring savagely
among the pines outside, but passing almost
contemptuously the werm, substantial cabin
crouching beneath them. The snow deadened
all sounds without, the dogs gave no howl
nor warning, when suddenly the door was
thrown open, and with sweeping gust and
snow two men came in. They were the
sheriff and q stranger
ssDon't make no stir, Ab!' shouted the
sheriff, SITS all right-t'other feller's con-
fessed. Heathe didn't do it. This here's
his brother-t'other feller owned up when
he's a-dyin.'"
Ab smiled grimly.
VI wouldn't hev TUX nobody's wu'd for hit
but your'n, shurf."
"Yes; we've KEN a-puppose ter git him,
tho it's cold es blazes," added the satisfied
sheriff. "You see Heathe KEN in on en-, en-
folks knowed thar's bad blood 'twixt 'em,
so they pitched on him, en- wouldn't believe
nothin' else 'Twur o clear case against
him; but he's innocent, and mon his BROTH
er have KEN for him. He's all right nOw."
"Fotch him, Mirry-h'it's my say So"
"You had close call, young man; they'c
,,N,, oura 2 thay "a can Uht vo,, "