Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1895-02-07
CHAPTER vIL-CoNr1NUED.
Copyright. 1898. by J. B. Lippinbott Co

-On, b4ldU was easy TO h1o OuGs an
swered the civilian. "A11 the soldiers,
all the 1aundresses, were full of in
formation about Schramm. and the
mere fact that he held aloof from all
but a few of their number was suf-
fcient to make them suspicious of
those with whom he did associate.
Mrs. Hinlzel and Mrs. Schultz
were sisters, am told, and Schultz and
Schramm became very friendly.
aSchramm, it appears, spent many an
evening at Hinkel's, and took a box
there when the battalion was packing
for the field, and went there with
small bundle the moment he got in
from the front, the morning of the rob-
berry. Now we know just what those
bwo men did in town, and what we
want to find out is what they did out
here, what that packet was and what
became of it. Tomorrow we expect to
have the men themselves.
''You do? Where?"
''Oh, we'll, down the Ska somewhere.
They doubtless think that the safest
route. You see, they couldn't go in
any other direction without their being
headed off and it's being open admis-
sion of their guilt. Possibly they mean
to catch the regiment, go through the
campaign with it, and by and by, when
the thing has blown over, pull out the
money that they've hidden hereabouts,
and have a good time. We have two
parties out after them now; one, to
head them off, went down to Pawnee
by rail and rode north from there; the
/. other follows their trail. I suppose
you know we found the valise?"
mo. Where?"
more than mile west OF Minden,
sliced open with bowie and rifled of
whatever paper money there was in it
the paymaster and clerk say. They
even left the nickels and dimes. Evil
IDENTIFY they were in a big hurry"
Morgan's sad eyes wandered again
over the prairie. The buggy was not a
mile away, and another was following.
If he could only see Mrs. Hinke1 mo-
ment before the inquisitors came.
"'Sudsville," that busting suburb Of
the army post of those days, nestled
along under the bank of little tribu-
tary of the Mini Ska, while the cavalry
stables and corrals occupied the broad
low ground that skirted the stream
itself on the southwark side of the gar
rison. He had known the woman for
years. She was an honest, sturdy,
stout-hearted frau" devoted to her
husband, the Hanoverian sergeant, and
proud of her brother-in-law,t the Prussian
Schultz, whose wife had died some years
before. She held herself above the run
of the colony of soldiers wives, there
fore they were not as ready to lie for
as against her. Nevertheless, she had
won even their respect; but the gable
of the laundress' quarteIs had been
amply sufficient to direct the scrutiny
of the officials to her doors. Schramm,
who left the box with her when the
battalion marched, had left also a
small package with her the morning
he and Schultz rode in. Where were
box and packet, and what did they
contain? That was what the sheriff
was determined to find out, and so Ger
tain was he of being on the trail Of the
robbers that he had hidden Graves and
his clerk to follow and identify the
money that might be recovered. When
Morgan saw the occupants of the sec
-ond buggy, as they drove by the south
gate, he went straight to his quarters
SIS Constance asleep?" he asked OF
Mrs Woods, as she met him at the
stairs.
mo; she's awake and anxious to see
you," was the answer.
Still undetermined what to do, the
father slowly climbed the steep stair
way. Oh, how fondly and trustfully
the big eyes beamed upon him, as be
tiptoed ini Already his child wa.
looking better, almost happy. Sh,