The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-10-27
Copyrigh. by Robert Bonner's Sor
CHAPTER XIII.
CONTINUED.

"'Tis so," responded Bill, who felt
that he had enlisted keener and
cleverer brain than his own in an at
tempt to solve the mystery, and was
content to let him puzzle his wits over
it, while he looked on with an air of
reticence that limited at deeper knowl-
edge of the matter than he felt willing
to divulge.
"You say that you can't find that he
was at anybody's house on the night
in which the horses were stolen-the
night when you saw him going past
your place?"
''I've took pains to ask ev'ry livin'
soul in the whole neighborhood an he
wa Mt nowher's," replied Bill.
"And he denied being away from
home on the night in question:"
"Wall, jest the same as denied it, D."
answered Bill. "He tried to make me
b'leeve I was mistaken. I s'pose he
dassen't say right out that lied, but
he did jest as nigh as he dared to-.
Now I know I want mistaken, an he
knows it."
"Well, what do you think about it?"
asked Wayne, apparently at a loss to
know what to think, himself.
''Gol burned eff I know what to
think" answered Bill. "I never took
any ikin' to Dick Drayton, but I
snum, I never would ha' bleeved he'd
got mixed up in hoss-stealin', eff I
hadn't seen what it pears to me means
suthin' like that, s near's I can judge.
Don't it look to you as ef sarcum-
stances kin O. p'inted that way?"
''To be frank with you, it does," re-
piled Wayne. 'But wouldn't care
to say as much to anybody but you,
because it is we'll understood that
Brayton and myself are not on the best
of terms, and they might think I was
trying to injure him, because of my
dislike for him. You have taken the
matter in hand, and I advise you to go
on with it. Keep your eyes open and
see what happens. If your suspicious
are correct, something will turn up to
prove them SO before long"
"Tll keep my eyes skinned" said
Bill.
And Bill was as good as his word.
He lost no chance Of creating sus-
picion against Dick by sly insinua-
tions, which, in such cases, generally
tell more effectively against person
than open assertions do.
To some of his particular cronies he
told the details of what he had seen in
q manner that made his story not only
a plausible, but somewhat convincing
one. With the minds of the settlers
greatly excited by the recent occur
renee, they were ready and eager to
accept any clew, or what seemed likely
to prove a clew, to a solution of the
mystery surrounding the theft, even
when their better Judgment told them
they were acting hastily and unwisely
in forming an opinion on no more re-
liable evidence than that which Bill
Green had to offer. At such times
men do not stop to coolly and dispas-
sionately weigh the testimony present
ed. If it bears the stamp of plausi-
bility on the face of it, they seem to
consider that enough to warrant them
safe in accepting it in place of some
thing better.
"Ah, my fine fellow, who's likely to
come out ahead?" chuckled Wayne, as
Dick went by the house that after
noon. His face wore look of intense
satifaction as his eyes followed the
man whose mark his features still wore
very plainly impressed on them. ''The
game is mine." he laughed, as Dick
passed out of sight. 'I've got whole
handful of trumps, full hand, SO to
speak,
That afternoon young man came
from "down below" to visit Dick. He
was harmless, inofensive sort Of fell
low, and has nothing whatever to 10
with this story, except in so far as his
coming to Brownsville helped to in
crease the suspicion which Bill Green
was creating against Dick Brayton.
When Bill found out about the
visitor, he had no scruples about hint
ing that it was his firm belief that he
belonged to gang of horse-thieves.
"He hain't come up here for moth
in" said Bill, with wise look and o
shake of his head.
Coupled with the various suspicious
circumstances surrounding Dick, Bill
succeeded in making the visit appear
as link in the evidence against him
in the minds of many with whom he
talked.
Strange as it may seem, Dick had
no knowledge or suspicion of what was
going on. Had he known what Bill
was doing, it would doubtless have
been quite unhealthy for that young
man in the climate of Brownsville, at
that particular time.
The young man from "down below, -
who would as soon have entertained
the idea of turning cannibal as becom-
ing a horse-thief, went home on Fri
day, and Dick accompanied him. he
would take a ''lay-off" till Monday.
This was his first one since he began
work for Mr.. Boone, in the spring, and
he felt as if he needed and had earned
restingspell.
Keep your eyes open while I'm
gone" he told Samanthy.
81 will so," replied that worthy
damsel. ''Pd Civ considerable to
know what the singin' teacher an Bill
Green air iggerin' on. Suthin's up,
reckon. They've got their heads to,
gether nigh about ev'ry day. Bill
comes up here a-lookin' as important
as q turkey struttin', an ev'ry time he