Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1896-11-20
~@SSSS
yxu

"We are striking work here, sir. We
are going south; but that matters little.
AS for Rufus Crouch, we have not had
him among us these -four days past. And
that, doctor, is all l have to tell"
Obadiah Jedson. as he said these words,
leaning on the long, sharp-pointcd shovel
which jet-huMtcrs use, looked sternly and
grandly picturesque, his gray locks
streaming over his shoulders. and his
tall, gaunt height towering aloft.
This person Crouch" DIR. Leader was
in the act of saying, when suddenly a
procession of scataring men came wind
ing its way along the beach skirting the
cliff wall, and in the midst of the march,
ing column was visible Il rude litter upon
which lay Il sliapelcss. motionless some
thing covered up dccorously with another
fragment of %tarpaulin.
n accident, do you say? Let me see
it," said DIR. Leader dropping the magis-
trate. and resuming his old functions as
a medical nan The tarpaulin, when
removed, gave to view the marble-white
face and pinchcd features of IL lead man.
There was no mistakins the shaggy red
beard, the broad, strongly-built figure of
Rufus Crouch.
Ives, lie must nave been dead for DAYS;
the tide had reached the place where he
lay, for here is the green slime of the
sea-weed mingling with his hair and
staining his clothcs," said DIR. Leader.
"He was on his way back from Danebor-
ough toward Bcckdale, when the path
gave way, and he fell. No human being
could have survived that fall"
DIR. Lender promptly decided that it
would be better to emove what had late
ly been Rufus Crouch to his own miser-
able home, the rather that he, in his mag
isterial capacity, felt it his duty to insti-
tute a search for the documents which
the eN-gold digger had pledged himself
to produce ut Lawyer Sturt's office, in
confirmation of the heavy charge which
he had SO %vehemently brought against Sir
Richard Mortmain.
AT last the lonely hut was in view.
There it was in its stony %ravinc. shut in
by the barren hills. There was now no
furious baying on the part of the four
footed sentinels that guarded the door.
The starving dogs could bark no more.
Hunger had tanned them, and they lay
exhausted.
Then. BY DIR. Leaders, orders. the door
was forced open. They aid the body of
Rufus Crouch on the wretched pallet-bed.
And now for our Search" said DIR.
Leader: and the superintendent and the
uore intelligent of his helmeted ucolytes
did their hest. but on no shelf, and in no
locker. chest, basket. barrel or cupboard
could the most v~isilant scrutiny discern
an.thing answering To the papers which
Rufus had promised so confidently to pro-
dncc as proofs of the truth of his accusa-
t;on against the baronet.
81 am very much afraid" said the mag
~istratc. as the tedious work of searching
into all manner of receptacles, hooks and
corners came to an end, that the man.
had some other hiding place away from
his hut. AT any rate. it seems as though
we had had our trouble for nothing"
Obadiah tapped his forehead suddenly,
as if a new idea had occurred to him.
II remember" he said-"yes, l remem-
her how l once came here and found the
hcarthstone up. and Crouch sorely an
gered and i'll at ease because l found him
busy with something beneath it that he
did his best to hide.
The hint was eagerly adopted. The
very workmen who had found Crouch's
body on the razor-edged rocks below the
dizzy height of Horde Cliff were ready at
a word to use Crouch's own crowbar and
SioNSl w - VIZ viz IA ACiIlllSlOlt
"A miser after ALL" "a crockful of
golden guineas! always thought he
must be rich-a close chap like old Robin
son Crusoe!!"
: Such were some of the of the
lovers of mystery outside the dead mans
dwelling. But when. with some diff
Guilty, the weighty stone had been lifted,
and the cavity which it concealed was
exposed, no gold, to the great d%isappoint-
ment of the spectators, was revealed, but
only n number of ~parchments and papers,
heedfully wrapped in oilskin, to keep them
from injury by damp.
YES, yes said the magistrate. after Il
cursory inspection of his prize, '.these are
the very papers, as far as / can see, which
this poor wretch promised, and. no doubt,
intended to bring with him to Mr.. Sturt's
office on the morrow of the day on which
he met his death by a fall from that dam
'gerous cliff. And there seem to be 9th
'er documents, too, not less valuable to
further the ends of Justice, which Crouch
may or nay not have mennt to use for a
good purpose. but which are brought to
light now thanks chiefly to you, Captain
Jedson."
1884,