The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-01-11

from me by this episode, and seized uhe
opportunity to take myself off, satisfied
that could get nothing out of the man In
his present mood.
"'Perhaps did not lose the locket there,
after all, reflected, and spent twice the
usual amount of time it took me to reach
cur camp by making a thorough inspection
of the path. But did not find the locket.
/ said nothing to the fellows about my
afternoons experience, but quietly made
I'D nv mind to make another visit to the
tailoring establishment later on in the hope
that might find its owner in more rea-
sonable frame of mind.
1.-THE next morning we had heard that
Bilsing was dead, and before noon was
arrested on the charge of numbering him.
He had been found in heap on the floor
of his shop by John Draper, who had stop
ped in to order pair of trousers made at
twenty minutes past 6. He had brulse on
the side of his head, and my locket was
found on the floor by his side.
IAN investigation was made by COM
mittee of citizens-there was no law TO
speak of in Bluebell. Darling and Gray
were very reluctantly obliged to TESTIFY
that they had seen me quarreling with the
German that very afternoon, and, to crown
all, they had unearthed that fellowwho had
rushed in with pair of trousers to be re-
paired, who turned out to be one Herman
Olgreich, and who swore that he had seen
me standing up before Bilsing in threat
ening attitude at a quarter past 6.
"'But had left the shop good half
hour before that l insisted, when l heard
this Il remember that fellow coming in,
and am sure that it couldn't have been
more than ten minutes to at the very
latest
But even as spoke remembered with
shudder that would find it difficult TO
prove my assertion, for on account of my
search by the way for the locket had
taken, as 1 have said, twice the usual
length of time to get back to our camp, so
that the testimony of my mates there as to
the time of my arrival would avail me
nothing. Jack Dingman, my chum, did
all that mortal man could do, and the rest
of the fellows in our claim secured Blue
bell in search of witnesses who might be
able to prove that / was not in Bilsing's
shop at a quarter past 6. But it was no
use The only thing gained by it was the
discovery of trampish sort of fellow who
said he had stepped in at the tailor's estab-
lishment about o'clock to get light for
his pipe, and found Bilsing alone, and ap-
parently all right.
CHOW, if you could only prove that that
Olgreich fellow is wrong, and that you are
right about the time of your being with
Bilsing, we could get you clear in jify,'
Jack assured me.
"But that was the worst of il. couldn't
prove it, and of course, under the circum-
Sc ha no
before mine. The case against me looked
bIacker and blacker. Money was found to
be missing from Bilsing's place, and so to
the mind of nearly all in town it was evil
dent that l had choked the German to
death in an ungoyernable mt OF passion,
and disdained to fee after the deed had
been committed, trusting to my good name
to save me from even the suspicion OF be-
ing implicated in the affair. The finding
of my locket among the shreds of cloth on
the floor had betrayed me.
There was no jail in the place, of course,
so was detained in well guarded room
at the hotel. Ny friends were allowed to
come in and see me at intervals but, as
you can imagine, these interviews were
anything but cheerful ones. At last the
day of the so called formal trial came, and
all my worst fears were realized as the
case progressed. All the little flaws | had
picked in the array of evidence against me,
and charged the boys to bring up when
the time came, were showed under by the
preponderating evidence on the other side.
Suddenly Jack Dingman sprang to his
| feet, and imagined ne had thought of a
new line of evidence. But he said nothing;
only hurried out of the room, carrying my
last shred of hope with him.
"'He can't bear to stay and hear me con-
victed, l told myself.
But was wrong. In five minutes Jack
was back again, out of breath, but with a
| look in his eyes that set my heart to throb-
bling quickly.
"'Will you please call Herman Olgreich
back TO the witness stand| he said to the
man who was acting the part of judge.
amid good deal of wonderment about
what might be coming, Jack turned TO the
German youth and asked:
GLOW did you know that it was quarter
past when you saw the prisoner in Bill
sings shop? You have no watch, l believe.
II looked at the clock, was the reply.
"'What is Jack driving at" 1 asked my
self. Surely this has all been gone over
before
"'Where were you standing when you
looked at the clock?' went on Dingman.
"'In the doorway. 1t was just as l was
going in,' replied Olgreich.
Jack brought his. hands together with
a smack. That settles it, guess he ex-
claimed But there is just one more
I question I should like to ask, How could
you tell the time if you got no farther
than the doorway, because the clock at
| Bilsing's is over it?'
why. sure enough answered the IN
suspecting witness promptly. There is a
| looking glass behind Bilsing's table, and
saw the clock reflected there
| (Which turned the hands round and
made it seem to you quarter past 6, when
| it was really quarter before g. and Jack
rushed toward me with hand outstretched.
at was as if bombshell had been burst
in that improvised court room. There was
a complete revulsion of public sentiment
| in my favor, and it scarcely needed the
! testimony of the trampish individual who
wanted light for his pipe to clear me.
Suspicion now being turned back upon
itself, so to speak, a doctor was procured,
and an autopsy held on the dead man,
which established the fact that he had
died Of an apoplectic stroke.
And now do you wonder, Grant, that
am a little sensitive to the ticking of a
clock, even though, as said, one did save
nv life,"
1T wasn't the clock, Frank, but the
mirror, which did that" and Young shiv-
cred slightly as he sat up on the lounge
and looked at his watch, TO find that it was
Just acknowledgements, Real and Ideal
| Frontier Cooking.
"What shall we eat, and what shall we
drink and wherewithal shall we be
/ ia. n-o r,-o-tr ;rnr,nxtart rrr,astir,s