Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-05-18

II guess / know" said the other:
.'she is on her way to Hendricks before
this"
$50, you're not an officer. viii you
be kind enough to tell me what you
are and what you want?"
sHow do you know I'm not an
officer?"
Because if you were, the woman
you are in search of couldn't get out
of this city without your knowing it
that is, if you understood your busi-
ness There has no boat left fol-
up river since last night, and you
would have been at the trains as they
left. don't pretend to know you, but
/ notice you do not wear the red neck
tie that you sported in New York"
The men looked each other in the
eyes. Fenning was the most self.
possessed-the other the most stolid.
His black eyes had flicker in them
that might mean weak astonishment
or it might mean contempt.
''And / notice." he said, that you
don't wear the same hair and the same
clothes that you wore when we
boarded the Corinthian."
Jennings self-possession was here
tested to the utmost. II don't know
what you're talking about" he said
"Were you one of the men that robbed
the steamship Corinthian?" and he
pushed his chair back a little with the
impulse of a sudden horror at such
close contact.
Eyes, you and / had hand in it
but Hendricks got the swag."
Fenning regarded the man with un
disguised astonishment. did Mrs
Hendricks have hand in it, too?''
''See here" said the man, there
amt bit of use in this kind of fenc
ing. was witness of the first job
The woman's been singing gold even
since, while Hendricks is carrying on
his underground works"
''Yes?" said Fenning, as if fcoaxing
crazy man to tell more.
"And you run the Office in town.
That's where the woman is now
underground
This was an admission that he did
not know where the Laran cave was
and Fenning was anxious to find out
just how much he did know.
'eYou are right" he said. "She is
safe by this time. I've got a tunnel
that runs from this Office to the under
ground place, but tell me about the
steamship. i have forgotten exactly
how we managed it."
You're a steady one" said his
companion, "but it's no use-you was
there"
81 acknowledge it," said Fenning.
1.-THE only trouble is / never can con
vince the fifty other people who knew
| was here at the time that it's so.
Now dare say, you will not have that
difficulty. You haven't told me yet
what you were sneaking after Mrs.
Hendricks for. Was she there?'
81 followed her to find Hendricks.
80, then you don't know where he
is?"
'I didn't then, but when | find his
Headquarters here and his mate here,
I'm done with the woman"
"You don't know where either Mr..
or Mrs. Hendricks is at this moment
"Yes, / do. Hendricks is under
ground He is building an under
ground railroad"
Fenning was surprised, but he
merely smiled. what is .it?' he
asked.
"It's at the other end of your mail
replied his companion.
Correct" said Fenning. Now,
then, what do you want TO do?"
81 want you to write to him and say
I'm up TO the whole thing-have looked
at his underground job at both endi
and want him to meet me there"
"Your game is blaclmail. How
much2"
"Well, it's worth ten Thousand
dollars or more to the government On
the steamship company, seeing that
two-thirds Of the plunder is untouched.
1t ought to be worth twenty-five thou
sand to Hendricks to keep both ends
of his burrow secret"
"Then why don't you go to himp"
"No, sir"
"Tben write your letter and will
forward it."
"No, sir"
"Then what the devil do you want to
do? Hendricks may be in the east"
"No, he isn't. You sent him a mes
sage yesterday morning. This is what
it said: Two hundred rifles shipped
at st. Louis, Barrels and stocks in
different boxes"
Fenning was now amazed. He was
at loss for moment what course TO
pursue. How could the man know all
that? Mrs. Hendricks had seen him
on the boat coming from st. Louis at
the time the dispatch was sent.
He saw that IL was cxpedient to
adopt now course with his visitor
whose ferret eyes were watching him
unperturbcd.
Look here, my friend; we might as
well be frank with each other. As
suming that you are not monomaniac
and that all you say is true, Hendricks
would naturally accept your PROPOSE
tion IL he had any sort of reason TO be-
lieve that you would keep your word
on the payment Of the money. Assum-
ing, say that you don't turn out TO be
cranlt, how can 1t all be arranged II IL
Is to Hendricks interest TO meet your
"IIe must come here"
"You are not reasonable. II he Is
the man who robbed the steamship, he
has too much at stake TO take that
risk Why not go 20 him? ! should
like TO see the thing out I'll go with
you. I'll wire him and ask him IL he'll
meet you and have IA talk"
Fenning was still more astonished
the same afternoon when the man re-
turned To- hear him say: THAT was n.
risky piece of business sending that
woman off in "a box. She was half
dead when they took her out under
that catalpa tree
There was no possible reply TO make
20 this. II was incomprchcnsible 10
Fenuing, and he had that kind OF
misgiving that an inscrutable mystery
creates.
81 have received two dispatches
from Hendricks. lie says that nm to
bring you on and talk the matter
over"
What did the third one say2'
"Thcrc wasn't any third one"
Eyes, there was. 1t said get him
here at all cost"
"Wcll, IL costs something To get you
there. WIN you go?"
"Yes, win. ] never was in n place
where / couldn't take care of myself
and IL won't be TO his interest 10 make
way with me-"
CHATTER X.
The visit of FcnninR and his mys-
4 II N..I