Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-06-11
GHOST OF A GALLONS.

smoking from It's discharge, the re-
port Of which had just startled the quiet
Of that country lane, while not forty
feet away from me lay in the road the
body Of man who had fallen from a
dogcart to the ground, apparently
stone dead. And the worst Of it was
that the man who lay there in the road
was my bitterest enemy.
The horse stopped and swerved with
terror at the discharge of the pistol
and this action threw the man, dead
or wounded from the cart. The groom
who was sitting back to back with his
master jumped from the vehicle and
ran toward the PROSTATE figure, while
the horse, left entirely to his own de-
vices, came toward and went past me
in mad gallop.
As drowning man thinks,so did /,
in that brief period. When the groom
reached the body of his master he saw
in an instant that he was dead. Then
he looked at me. was still reviewing
the situation. But there wasn't much
time to spare.
1t was not who fred the fatal shot.
The road at this point was lined on
one side with high hedge and I knew
that the murderer had fred from this
ambush and dexterously thrown the
revolver to where it lay just at my
feet. But l was quick enough to real;
ize that 10 jary in the world would
ever believe this unless proof of the
real murderer could be produced.
Instantly knew that my only hope
lay in his capture, >and I Immediately
dashed through tho hedge in search
OF him, while thu groom, thinking no
doubt that ! was attempting toescape,
game in hot pursuit Of pi 80
Inside the hsdgt there was no sign
OF any living being. The fair green
fields stretched away to the hillside,
beyond which the white walls of a
farmhouse were just visible, as peace
fully as if there could be no such
thing as the tragedy which had just
taken place on the other side of the
hedge. I looked up and down the
long hedgerov in vain. There was
not the slightest clue to the murderer
to be seen.
However, determined that the man
might possibly make for the railroad
station, whence / had just come, for L
knew that there was train to the city
due in few minutes. Could the ruff
fan catch it? And could l overtak Q
him before he did so? If not I re-
Aected 1 might easily telegraph to the
next station and have him appre.
hended.
was running all the time as hard
as could inside the hedge aud tow.
ard the railway station.
never ran so bard in my life be-
fore, but felt that my life depended
on the chance of securing the muir.
dsrer, and consequently the effort
cost me no strain. My wind began tc
tell on me, however, at the end of the
first quarter.mile and / was just won
dering vaguely how long I could keep
it up when l came upon the empty
dogcart with therunaway horse quiet
ly cropping grass by the roadside
Here was luck indeed. 1 Jumped into
the cart as speedily as my exhausted
strength would let me, and gathering
up the reins struck the whip and We
were off as fast as the animal could rul
toward the station.
estimated that there was still tw,
minutes before the train was due an,
/ felt sure that the station could not b,
moro than third of mile distant
Suddenly l heard the whistle of tn
locomotive aud with it came an in
spiration.
The murderer might never be found
At all events l could not lay hands o.
him Just then. Why not take tn
train aud make good my own escap
while the opportunity presented itself
1t seemed a terrible thing to thus file
from Justice because OF crime whic
had not committed, but could nc
for my life see any other course opeI