Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-02-17

uOW III lOTCuCdu duQ lulO iDN CfC
What, before the trial 2" My
/ good sir, you have fair. very fair,
, aptitude for crime; but, believe me,
you have much to learn both of legal
etiquette aud of a lawyers consci-
encc." And for the first time since l
came in saw something like indig-
nation on that ruddy face
"Now," be continued, Il either
know too much or not enough. Ob-
viously ! know enough for you to
wish, and perhaps wisely, to kill me
The question is, whether | know
enough to make it worth your while
to spare me. think | do; but that
is for you to decide. If | put you to-
night, and in half an hours time, in
possession of property worth ten
thousand pounds will that content
you?"
"Come, come" l said, "you need
not try to fool me, nor think | am go
ing to let you out of my sight"
"You misunderstood; | desire
neither; only wish bargain. ] am
ready to pledge you m V word to make
no attempt to escape before you are
in possession of that property, and to
offer no resistance to your shooting
me 10 case you fail to obtain it, pro-
vided, on the other hand, you pledge
your word to spare my life should
you succeed within half an hour. And
my dear sir, considering the relative
value of my word and yours, l think
it must be confessed you have the
better of the bargain"
l thought for moment Every
well, then," said |, $50 be it, but if
you fail -"
II know what happens, replied he.
With that he blew a note or two
on his flute, took it to pieces and care
fully bestowed it in the tails of his
coat. | put away my pistol in mine.
"Do you mind shouldering that
spade and pickaxe and following me?"
he asked 1 took them up in silence.
He drained his glass and put on his
hat.
Now think We are ready. Stop
q moment"
He reached across for the glass
which l had emptied, look it up gin.
gerly between thumb and forefnger
and tossed it with a cyash on the
hearthstone He then did the same
to my pipe after first swapping the
stem into halves. This done he blew
out one candle and with great gravi-
ty led the way down the staircase. l
shouldered the tools and followed,
while my heart hated him with q
fiercer spite than ever.
| We passed down the crazy stairs
and through the kitchen. The can
dies were still burning there. As
my companion glanced at the supper
table he said, III IN, not bad be-
ginning of new leaf. My friend,
will .allow you exactly twelve
months in which to got hanged"
j made no answer, and we stepped
out into the night. The moon was
now up, and the high road stretched
like g white ribbon into the gloom
The cold wind bore up few heavy
clouds from the northwest, but for
the most part we could see easily
enough. We trudged side by side
along the road in silence, except that
| could hear my companion every
now and then whistling softly to him.
SELF
AS we drew near to the Four
Holed Cross and the scene of the
murder confess to an uneasy feeling
and a desire to get past the place
with all speed. But the lawyer stop.
ped by the very spot where the
coach was overturned and held up q
| finger as if to coll attention. 1t was
= favorite trick OF his with the
jury.
"This was where the jewelry lay.
Some fifteen yards Off was another
pool of blood. Now the jeweler
must have dropped instantly, for he
was shot through the heart Yet no
one doubted but that the other pool
of blood was his. Foolsl"
With this he turned off the road at
right angles and began to strike rap
idly across the moor. At first l
thought he was trying to escape me,
but he allowed me to catch him up
rapidly enough, and then | kne W
the point for which he was making.
/ followed doggedly. Clouds began
to gather over the moons face, and
every now and then | stumbled
heavily on the uneven ground; but
he moved along nimbly enough, and
even cried "Sboo!" in n sprightly
voice when startled plover few up
before his feet. Presently, after we
had gone about 500 yards on the
heath, the ground broke away in a
little hollow, where rough track
led down to the limekilns and the
thinly. wooded stream that washed
the valley below. We followed this
track for ten minutes or 30, and pres
emily the masonry of tho disused
kilns peered out-white in the moon.
light-from between the trees.
There were three of these kins
standing close together beside the
path; but my companion, without
hesitation, pulled up almost beneath
the very arch Of the first, peered
about. examined the ground narrow.
ly, and thon motioned to mo.
"Dig here"
"If We both know well enough
what is underneath what is the use
Of digging?"
IL very much doubt If we do"
said he. "You had better dig"
l can feel the chill creeping down
my back as / write it; but at the
time, although | well knew the girls.
ly sight which | was to discover,
dug away steadily enough. The
man who had discovered my secret
set himself down on dark bank Of
ferns at about ten PAGES distant and
began to whistle softly, though l
could see his fingers fumbling with
his coat tails ~ though they itched
to be at his flute again.
The moons rays shone fitfully
upon tho white face of the kiln and
lii up my work The little stream
rushed noisily below. And 80, with
this hateful man as solitary watcher,
~