Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-17

won't be beat now. There's a reward out for him-dead or alive-so you may as well 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 it worth your while to tell of him."
 Miriam heard him in silence, set, reso- lute expression upon her face.
 "You shall have part of the reward-"
 "I don't touch blood moneyv' she inter rupted, fiercely.
 ''It don't matter. I'll catch him yet. He's & cold -blooded villain-wanted for murder"
 'Murder?'
 The girl shivered. Her face paled 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 certain to nab him sooner or later," added the detective, with the professional gusto of a man who had bagged human game.
 Miriam listened wearily while they told the terrible tale to Alb. She watched her father narrowly. The quasi moonshiner might condone offenses against the revenue, but murder !-she knew that he had a super stitious horror of man with blood on his hands.
 He h'aint fitten ter git of, Mirry," he whispered while the search went on in the angry thoroughness of threatened discom- titure. He'll fotch us turrible luck, of he's done hit, en', Mirry, he sha'n't hev you, noways. We'll git inter trouble long O him eff we don't tell"
 Father, Eve helped .en' stood by you, hev'n't IT" asked the girl, & passionate pleading in every lineament and accent.
 True huff. Mirry; you've holped me pow'ful; but 'twur never murder" he re- joined, uneasily. "H'it's no good a-holpin' murder'
 No, mol wouldn't do 1t, either; but he says he is innocent, father"
 'Innercentl Mayhap he is, en' likely he h'Rin't; likely he's jes' a-foolin' wid 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; len don't you tu'n against us."
 us? He sha'n't hev you"
 The girl chung 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 1t comes all right"
 Alb turned sway-his wrinkled counten- 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 "Guv' menters'' 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, tRe dense thickets, 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 hea" questioned the man, in boiling evaporation.
 "Jes' so, cspting; he wur here ter-day."
 "Thought so. Gimme the truth, now. He's here now, ain't he3" Alb tore of long leaf of tobacco from a homegrown twist, and held it ill tempting proximity to his mouth "Nat'ral huff, capting, ef he h'sin't guy you the slip, he be heah yit" 'IOu1Ouul IhS lSAIo"y WS AhlShG a-AhO"A AA by their takin' it so cool that he had vamoosed; curse the whole businessv 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 lukewarm sheriff and enraged de- tectives had taken themselves off, down the ridge, some time before Ab said, with 8 satisfied ohuckle:
 ''Twa'n't no lie es I tole lem, Mirry. I knowad them pow'ful sharp fellers wouldn' t believe hit; but mind you, gal, you h'ain't 1 got my say so ter tek' no man es commits murder en you'll never git hit, kase 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 frightened it's grip, and still an uneasy sense of suryeil- l lance and danger hung over them. The old moonshiners family had once been full of l expedient for deluding doubtful visitors. l They seemed to come back to Miriam, along with thousands of ingenious devices for the comfort and safety of her lover. All the l winter long he was neither seen or heard of 1 at Abs cabin, but all the winter long neither rain, nor snow, nor raging tempest-the l tempest of the mountains-prevented the girls daily pilgrimage to the hut in the black ravine. Alb would watch her go out in the whirling snow-wresths, with the basket on her arm, but he never questioned the errand. So the winter dragged Its ice cold lengths away. Tho fine frosty flakes of snow betokened 8 fierce storm coming over the ridge-already 1t had sifted like white powder into crack and crevice, shut ting out the frigid wind roaring savsgely among the pines outside, but passing almost contemptuously the warm, substantial cabin crouching beneath them. The snow deadened all sounds without, the dogs gave no how nor warning, when suddenly the door wal thrown open, and with sweeping gust and 1 snow two mon came in. They were tho l sheriff and a strange$. Don't make no stir, Abp' shouted the l sheriff, "Its all right-t'other feller's con | fessed Heathe didn't do it. This here's his brother-t' other feller owned up wher he's s-dyin.'"
 Ah smiled grimly.
 "I wouldn't hev tux nobody's wu'd for h'i' but your'n, shurf"
 "Yes; we've kem a-puppose ter git him 1 tho it's cold es blszes," added the satisfied | sheriff "You see Heathe ksm in on su. en I $oll~, lrpoxuo5 thariS e had blood stwixE feNl