Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-10-29
CHAPTER XIV.

lever anu iet ny Nv ihc WIN uotb c'Aio''
in quick succession!
CHAPTER XIV.
Had the sun been shining tho state
ment Of Carl Wittner" would never
have been written. The gloom inter
fered with tho old farmers aim; but, rs
il was, felt the wind made by the
heavy load of buckshot rs it whizzed
past my ears. II was close call.
Angered, / wheeled about and leveled
my revolver, but checked myself before
pulling the trigger. Suppose fired and
killed him!
1t would have been murder without
excuse. Ny life was 10 longer in any
danger and his act in firing at me was
justifable. He would not have been
punished had no carried out his threat
and "filled me with buckshot. " Many
might ccnsure him for not having done
so. | showed my weapon back in place
and walked briskly down the avenue
leading to tho main highway
But there were others to think about.
The presumption was that the two East
Indians, having preceded me, might be
waiting in ambush to adjust that little
affair in the rear of the farmhouse.
They could not fail to know that ii
was / who had tumbled one Of them
from his perch and nipped in the bud
the scheme he had in mind. They must
believe / was in league with the How
ards, and that before they could succeed
with them | must be brushed from the
path. What better opportunity than
that which now presented!
But the wound Of one Of them must
have been potent factor in preventing
what feared. | was that apprehensire
that / held my partly discharged revolv-
er in hand after entering the road and
turning in the direction Of the farm
house where I made my temporary
home
What had become OF them could not
be guessed. They had probably gone in
the direction Of the town and were not
likely 20 be heard OF again.
Reviewing my work Of tho evening,
as | walked homeward, | saw little III
il 10 encourage me. | had not ONLY
failed TO gain an iota f additional
knowledge Of Mana Sahib's ruby, hut
had put the suspected ones on guard
and therefore increased the difficulty
that confronted me from the frst.
Probably up to this night Darius
Howard was confident that no one had
followed him TO this pleasant little
town. and that he WAS still safe with
his secret in the house where he had
made his home for an indefinite time.
But the occurrences OF the night must
undeceive him. a desperate attempt
had been made 70 break in upon him.
His secret was 10 longer secure. He
would take instant measures - avert tho
threatened danger.
The most effective step would be O
change of quarters. Hc was not likely
to spend another night in the old stone
house. What was done. therefore, 10
checkmate him must be done quickly.
Ii is well known that the safest hid
ing place for u criminal whom the OIL
GERS Of the law want is in the heart OF
the great city Of New York. 1t was
hard TO understand why this strange
couple had left so secure concealment
ami taken up their residence where
their chances OF detection were increas-
ed tenfold.
But, for that matter, everything Thus
far was hard 10 understand. The con-
ceded fact, as saw it, which confront
ed mo was what next would be done by
them. They were under my eye low,
and il let them slip would not be-
likely to get on their track again.
was glad to find on reaching my
home that all the folks had retired. |
let myself in with the night key with
which | had been furnished and went
TO my room without being seen by any
one. This was fortunate, for my cloth
ing had lost much of the neatness which
marked il at first and was in need Of at
tention.
The farmers breakfast early, and
finding that Mr.. Bridges intended TO
drive into town rode with him, reach
ing tho station in time 10 catch the early
trains had | wished, but my purpose
was not to leave unless the Howards did
so. waited most Of the forenoon, but
saw nothing Of thom.
Guarded inquiries gave me no infor-
nation of the two men Of the night be-
fore. Had | chosen might have killed
that one at the window, but was reliev-
ed to know that such was not the case
He must have been hit pretty hard, but
not sufficiently SO to endanger his life.
II there had been any feeling Of con-
ceit in my mind-and l protest there
was little, if any-it was pretty well
removed by what followed by my loi;er-
ing about the railway station. My in
tention was, if either Howard or his
wife boarded any train, to do the
same and shadow them wherever they
went, bat made an inexcusably stupid
failure to carry out my purpose.
| scanned every train that went to-
ward New York and Of course kept an
eye OH those going in the opposite direc-
tion. This was somewhat perfunctory,
for did not suspect that either Of the
couple would proceed southwark.