Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-24
CHAPTER XIV.
JOHN GRAY IN MANACLEs.

JOHN GRAY IN MANACLES.
The Coroner and the Coroner's jury no
longer trampled the pleasant grass down by
the sparkling trout stream. The ceremoni-
GUS old huDbug had taken up his dead, and
left the sweet landscape to the squirrel and
the piping quail. But somehow the strange
men did not melt away as had been ex-
pected. On the contrary. strange men came
and went, up and down and round about
continually. A great reward had been
offered for the murderer, dead or alive, by
the dead mans father, the millionaire.
Silvia and his daughter kept all this time
on the island.
One day hunter came to the cabin where
Gray was still patie ntly painting the dead
girls picture. He seemed to be very much
of hunter; too much of a hunter in fact.
A genuine hunter carries but Gght,weights
here. And then he stood his gun in the
corner, muzzle down; q most dangerous
thing TO do, and most unlike a hunter.
Gray smiled family as he saw all this, but
with that innate gentleness Of the true gen.
tleman he seemed to take no notice at all,
but quietly reached the man his three
legged stool, and went on with his work.
His back was to the stranger as he wrought.
This seemed to annoy the self important
intruder, and be left the little seat more
than once, and tried in vain to get front
view of the artist by pretending to desire
better look at the work in hand.
How Gray did despise this average repre-
sentative of that most despieabIe class
known as detectives; those pitiful, miserable
man hunters, whose only real place of suc-
cess is in the dime novel! He kept his
back to the detective for long time. At
last the conceited fellow seemed to hit on a
splendid idea. Taking up small pebble
from the moss that lay scattered about the
doorway, he cried out:
SIS not this gold? Come here quick to the
door and see!'
Quietly and slowly the artist laid aside
his brush; quietly and slowly he stepped
buck into the corner, where stood a little
wash basin, and at last quietly and slowly
came to the door and stood in the full light
before this brilliant detective.
A glance up and down that row of but
tons. "The same! And one of them gonel
Good Good! The reward is oursP'
In his eagerness to be of, he could hardly
wait to take himself away decently.
'The picture alone is dead give awayl
To say nothing of the button: jealousy;
jealousy! That's why the fool didn't take
the loot. Why, knowed it Was this fellow
from the frstP' And chuckling thus to him
self the great detective was gone.
John Gray again took up his brush, and
by sunset the beautiful bit of painting was
on its way to the dead girls mother.
He did not enter, but stood the picture
over inside the gate where were gathered the
Their glad surprise, their little
clasped brown hands, their wonderful eyes
wide open, the group of sweet faces all
focused close up to the sweet picture in the
redwood frame which he had fashioned with
his own hand all this-his reward wa
nothing: everything!
As he turned back with q yery sad and
yet light heart he saw even more than
ever before passing up and down and round
about. His cabin, as noted before, stood in
! sort Of amphitheater of hills high up here
IN this crown OF hills, with the little dense
,opse where the grasses were, and the lilies
grew Tor the center. Near the depression,
,verhanging it almost, toward a precipiee
VI shelving rocks, the trail passed under
oose rocks 1t now seemed to him as if his
,abin was literally surrounded by armed
men. This little circle of hills was certain
v set thick with men-men who seemed to
,e not noticing him; and yet clearly were
loticing nothing else.
AS the artist entered his cabin he sighed,
md he smiled also. What continual
contradiction is man, even in the same
,reath.
81 must make it certain, he said firmly,
s he turned about in his doorway, and saw
S the twilight faded away the armed men
row gradually nearer. Then taking his
rush, he wrote in red and indelible letters
ack behind the door on the smooth surface
f one OF the redwood logs: